Service Dogs Through History – Work, Friendship and Loyalty

A tribute to the dogs that helped on 9/11 and all the service dogs helping in disaster area, war zone and people in danger.

Since the beginning of civilization, humans and dogs have enjoyed a strong relationship. Early humans were hunters, and they quickly realized that if they teamed up with dogs, it would help ensure the survival of both. This was a true partnership, and man and dog forged a mutual understanding that allowed both to prosper. When dogs were trained, the idea was to help the two species understand each other. The dog’s improved performance was a consequence of good communication between man and dog.

Artifacts from humanity’s earliest days depict scenes of dogs and humans together, documenting the roles dogs have played in human lives as friends and helpers. Dogs helped our ancestors survive by helping them hunt and serving as protectors. Humans and dogs enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, a symbiotic relationship as they learned to work as a team to fight off enemies and hunt. Dogs have an instinctive ability to understand body language, which has fostered good communication between humans and dogs through the centuries.

As humans branched out into settled life and began keeping livestock, dogs adapted their skills and learned to protect sheep and cattle as well as humans. Humans were quick to realize the dog’s potential and set about teaching him more and more specialized tasks. Dogs took on more complex tasks on early farms, learning to herd as well as protect and moved into military work as well.

Dogs have served in the military as far back as the Roman Empire which featured whole battalions of dogs trained for battle. Through history, the dog’s role in the military expanded as dogs learned more specialized task. While continuing to work as protectors and guards, by World War I dogs had mastered the skills to deliver messages and act as scouts. Larger, stronger dogs such as the Bouvier des Flandres who had a history of pulling carts on farms were later used to haul military equipment.

According to Care2, September 11 was “the largest deployment of Dogs in US history”
An estimated 250 to 300 hundreds canine search and rescue team arrived on the scene and started looking for people that were trapped or injured.

They are the same dogs and teams that help in many disasters around the world.

We’ve all seen police dogs on the beat and drug sniffer dogs at the airport. The media regularly report on dogs locating missing people ranging from escaped convicts to elderly Alzheimer’s patients to missing hikers and even murder victims.

But the history of dogs and humans is not exclusively about dogs helping us in danger. For centuries, dogs have played roles every bit as important in everyday life. Dogs have been assisting blind people since the first century AD. Paris is home to the first formal facility to train guide dogs, which dates back to 1788. Today dogs are trained to assist people with a wide range of disabilities and health issues including deafness, autism and epilepsy.

Dogs have even worked in teams to help humans. We’ve all seen images of sled dogs working together, but fewer people are aware of the historic link between the little Lhasa Apso and the Mastiff. In ancient Tibet, nobility would keep a Mastiff outside the house on guard duty while a few Lhasa Apsos were kept inside as special guards due to their keen hearing and ability to assess friends and foes.

Dogs have carried out a range of tasks throughout history, working in cooperation with their human counterparts. They have hunted with us, guarded our livestock and property and led us safely down busy streets. They have a natural ability to learn and communicate that makes them ideal to train for these roles. Dog training historically has focused on teaching dogs specific tasks – anything from go get that specific lamb and bring him to me to stay here and protect the barracks. And like many colleagues who work well together, we’ve struck up a strong friendship over the centuries.

This September 11th while we remember the people that lost their life in the terrorist attack of the Twin Towers, let’s remember as well the many dogs that have served and died in the line of duty.