Courageous, devoted, and fiercely loyal, military dogs are truly man’s best friend on the battlefield.  These faithful canine warriors have been active members of the U.S. military since 1942, and in recent years, they are the single greatest advantage that allied forces have against the signature weapon of the post-9/11 era – the IED.  But war dogs are far more than their collective roles and qualities.  The dependence and trust between a man and a dog is never so dire or profound as it is on the battlefield, and WAR DOGS:  Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love by Foreign Policy’s Rebecca Frankel gets to the heart of these heroic animals, the connections they form with their human comrades, and how this symbiotic relationship has forever changed the way soldiers experience war.

An enlightening meditation on war and the effect it has on both species, WAR DOGS follows Frankel into the elite and lively world of military dogs and their handlers, through a mix of on-the-ground reporting and her own hands-on experiences with these canine-human teams.  Informed by interviews with top military commanders, K-9 program managers, combat-trained therapists, veterinary technicians stationed in Bagram, and handlers who have deployed with dogs in wars from Vietnam to Iraq, WAR DOGS illuminates the incredible abilities of these animals, and the unbreakable bonds that form and expand between handler and animal as they risk their lives side by side.

Frankel explores the science behind a dog’s skills on the battlefield, from their amazing noses and powerful jaws to their uncanny sensitivity to the emotions of their human companions.  The reader will learn the intricacies of handling, the painstaking process of choosing and training dogs for war, and the countless unique experiences that handler and animal teams share.

Rebecca Frankel is senior editor, Special Projects at Foreign Policy Magazine. Her regular Friday column “Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week” has been featured on The Best Defense since January 2010. Her photo essay “War Dog,” is the most-viewed piece in ForeignPolicy.com’s history and has received upwards of 16 million views. 

Replete with touching stories of individual dogs and their soldiers, WAR DOGS is a moving and timely look at the crucial role that dogs continue to play in our military, and the unsung reality of their ongoing heroism.