Cpl K. Wiens and SSD Cooper - Page 1

I had the great but sad honor earlier this week to be a part of the funeral detail for the first Military Working Dog team killed in action since the vietnam war.  Cpl Wiens and SSD (specialized search dog) Cooper, a yellow labrador retriever, were killed by a roadside bomb on 6 July, while on patrol in Iraq.  They were laid to rest together last week in a moving service.  About  30 K9 teams came and paid their respects, it was a very moving scene to see nothing but code lights from the vehicles on the road as far front and back as I could see (Barbie and I were in the middle of the procession). 

A very moving story. We owe so much to the service dogs around the world, especially those at war! Every day there are K9 teams around the world, working for the safety of others, often behind the scenes. Many of these teams, weapons detection and explo put their lives at risk on a daily basis and go un-mentioned. Luckily most explo teams go throughout their working lives, never having an operational find, but must go into every search believing there is a device. Sadly we only tend to hear of the unlucky ones!