In the United States, Veterans Day annually falls on November 11. This day is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice, which ended World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918. Veterans are thanked for their services to the United States on Veterans Day. But it is also an appropriate time to show appreciation for the Dogs of War.
National War Dog Cemetary
Some notable milestones in the use of dogs at war include:
1776: Newfoundland dogs served as messengers during the Revolutionary War
1865: During the Civil War, dogs were used as messengers, guards, and mascots
1884: The German Army established the first organized Military School for training war dogs at Lechernich, near Berlin
Part of a great selection of pictures of military dogs at twentytwowords.com
1898: Dogs served as scouts in the jungles of Cuba in the Spanish-American War
1914: Dogs served as messengers between trenches in World War I
1965: Some 3-4,000 scout and sentry dogs served in Vietnam
1991: During the Gulf War, the U.S. used 88 teams of dogs to guard and protect their troops, supplies and aircraft.
2009: Some 2,000 dogs serve GIs in the Middle East, mostly sniffing for explosives.
U.S. Air Force dog atop an M2A3 Bradley in Iraq, 2007
Dogs have also been used to help veterans returning from wars, to cope with PTSD.
For more information, see The United States War Dogs Association and this “Short History of Canines in Combat” from the Military History site.
Cario the dog was involved in the operation that killed bin Laden.
Rhapsody in Books Weblog 
Oh, those sweet little babies.
What a very nice tribute. We often forget that there were more than men participating in wars/military.
What a great post and what an interesting take on veterans day. I have given money in the past to a group that helps care for pets of service people deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It’s easy to overlook the animals that serve in wartime. Thanks for this informative post! I especially like the first photo with the therapy dogs, I haven’t heard of them, and it makes me curious what kind of role they have.
Have you read
Nubs : the true story of a mutt, a Marine & a miracle
by Kirby Larson, ?? Very good book.
Never thought about the dogs of Service, give them a big bone Today 🙂