Patton Veterinary Hospital Salutes the Working Dog

Patton Veterinary Hospital Salutes the Working Dog

     Since we celebrated Labor Day this week, honoring all the hard-working men and women in the U.S., I thought I would take this opportunity to pay tribute to all our canine companions who, pun intended, work like dogs. 

                Dogs are employed to do many things.  There are Seeing Eye Dogs, of course, who are trained to assist the blind.  There are other service dogs who do anything from assisting those in wheelchairs to alerting others when their companion has a seizure to providing support to those with mobility or balance issues or assisting those with autism, PTSD, developmental issues or other illnesses.  There are also therapy dogs who provide stimulation and companionship for hospital-bound patients, those in retirement or nursing homes, schools and sometimes to people in disaster areas.

                Dogs, with their amazing sense of smell are also used as part of search and rescue teams, using their noses to sniff out survivors in collapsed buildings, victims of natural disasters, or missing persons.  They are also used to find those less fortunate who have perished in these situations.  Those great smell receptors also allow dogs to be trained to sniff out drugs or explosives for the police and FBI.  Even more fascinating are dogs that are trained to detect cancer in people with up to 98% accuracy. 

                Of course, K-9 police units are common with our very own York Area Police Department having employed several dogs over the years including retired K-9 Brando, pictured above.  They are used for drug searches as well as for protection and bringing down criminals.  Harrisburg K-9, Wodan, was shot several times in the line of duty apprehending a criminal with Officer Michael Lamonto in 2001.  Wodan was treated for his injuries at Willow Mill Veterinary Hospital and at the University of Pennsylvania. He survived his injuries but sadly passed away in 2004. 

                Finally, there is a long history of dogs being employed in the military.  Dogs are used by our United States military for a variety of jobs including as sentries, as scout or patrol dogs to identify enemy presence, as messengers, as casualty dogs searching for wounded who may be in hidden or obscure places and for locating mines and explosives . Going all the way back to the Civil War, a dog with somewhat local ties is Sallie, a Staffordshire Terrier and mascot for the 11^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.  Sallie became separated from the Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, but was found three days later guarding the bodies of dead and wounded soldiers.  She was shot and killed two years later at Hatcher’s Run, Virginia where she was buried on the battlefield.  In 1890, surviving members of the 11^th Pennsylvania dedicated a monument on the Gettysburg Battlefield which depicts the sleeping Sallie.  You can also pay your respects to all war dogs at the United States War Dogs Memorial in Holmdel, NJ. 

So, on behalf of all of us at Patton Veterinary Hospital, a hearty word of thanks to all the helpful hounds out there who diligently make living with disabilities easier, keep us safe, and save our lives. 

Sources:   dogguide.net, uswardogs.org