BONUS FEATURES

We will be uploading original videos after the publication of Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes. Meanwhile, here are two moving tributes to military dogs and their handlers.

Here’s a bonus gallery of some photographs that didn’t make it into the book’s 16 pages of color photos because of space constraints. Click on the photos to enlarge them. All photos are of the dogs and people in Soldier Dogs. This is a good place to get to know them a little before you read the book, or to get more familiar with them during or after. You can find more bonus photos on the Soldier Dogs Facebook page.

Marine Sgt. Rosendo Mesa, an explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) tech, relaxes with MWD Lucy during a mission in Afghanistan (Photo: Courtesy Rosendo Mesa)
Sometimes it seems like military working dogs can do just about anything. Here, Davy takes the driver's seat in a helo with her (yes her) handler, Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Bates (Photo courtesy Marcus Bates)
Muzzles are mandatory during most veterinary procedures at Lackland Air Force Base. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
A German shepherd alerts to explosives in a truck bed. In this case, he just stares at it until he's called away. (Photo: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams for Soldier Dogs)
Army Capt. Emily Pieracci, a veterinarian, checks on a dog's injury. He will need stitches - a minor procedure compared with some of the life-threatening injuries sustained by soldier dogs and handlers. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Military working dogs sometimes wear specially designed goggles to protect their eyes from wind, sand, and sun. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)

Dog handler Marine Corp. Max Donahue stateside with MWD Ronni, his first dog - military or otherwise. (Photo courtesy of Julie Schrock)
Some dogs become experts in helicopter maneuvers. Here a handler and combat tracking dog - a dog trained to track human scent, not explosives - go from helicopter to pursuit of a "bad guy" in seconds. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Navy Master at Arms 1st Class Ekali Brooks (back to camera) works with future dog handlers at Lackland Airforce Base. "It's the best job in the world," he says. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
Air Force Master Sergeant Antonio “Arod” Rodriguez, a command-level Military Working Dog Program manager in charge of dog programs for 12 Air Force bases, with MWD Bosco. “The working dog is a weapons system that is resilient, compact, easily deployable, and can moved fast when needed. Nothing compares," he says.
Water, frequently given, is key to keeping soldier dogs healthy and working in the hot climes of recent wars. Handlers carry extra water, often in a CamelPak they wear, to share with their dogs. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Belgian Malinois - the breed of dog that was allegedly involved in the raid on Bin Laden's compound - are prized as military working dogs. They have everything German shepherds do, without being quite so predisposed to joint and hip difficulties. They also have a reputation for not thinking as much, but just doing as they're told. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)

Navy MASN Silvia Cureses rewards her dog, Katja K108, after the dog found narcotics during an exercise aboard a Navy ship. (Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams for Soldier Dogs)
Some may laugh at the idea of a Jack Russell terrier as a military working dog, but Lars J274 - an explosives detector dog who had a bit of a Napoleon complex - sets them straight. Little Lars and Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Cameron Frost takes the jibes in stride. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Lars sniffs out explosives with his handler on a submarine, the USS Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virg. (Photo: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul D. Williams for Soldier Dogs)
Navy Master Chief Scott Thompson (left) was head of canine team operations in Afghanistan for a year. Here he confers with Lt.-Commander John Gay at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kristopher Knight, course chief at the Inter-Service Advanced Skills K-9 (IASK) Course at the Yuma Proving Ground, gets a feel for a dog's natural aggressive instincts. "Some dogs just want to be your friend," says one long-term dog program official. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Gunny Knight has been known to separate two fighting military working dogs by grabbing each by the collar and lifting them off the ground. He jokingly shows his strength here by hoisting a fellow Marine off the ground. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)

Military dogs live for their handler's praise and a toy - usually a rubber Kong - for a job well done. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
Handlers sometimes have to act as their dog's emergency medic. Read Soldier Dogs chapter 28, Heat, then come for a better idea of what is going on in this photo with Air Force Technical Sergeant Adam Miller and his German shepherd, Tina M111. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Tech. Sgt. Miller and MWD Tina emerge from a building ready for action. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
Dogs on deployment have often have grueling missions, but their down time is usually better than back in the U.S. They're with their handlers almost 24/7, and frequently share cots with them. In this photo, Rex L274 luxuriates on a giraffe print dog bed his handler, Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham, bought him online during a deployment in Iraq. (Photo courtesy Amanda Ingraham)
Deployment often means a break from the concrete-floored kennels where MWDs spend most of their time at home. Here, Aris E111 reposes in an extra bunk in the "can" of his handler, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Rounds. (Photo courtesy Andrew Rounds)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Crotty's dog, Danita K302, shares his sleeping bag on a freezing mission in Iraq. (Photo courtesy Richard Crotty)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Brent Olson got a Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan. His dog, Blek H199, was also wounded in the explosion, but he got nothing. Military working dogs get no official recognition for their heroic or courageous acts. Some are trying to change this. (U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander)
Together in war, but what about after their rought deployment? Find out what happened to MWD Blek in chapter 37, The Sound of Blek Screaming. (Photo courtesy of Brent Olson)
After recovering somewhat from an IED blast in Afghanistan, MWD Blek visits Staff Sgt. Olson at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. (Photo courtesy Brent Olson)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Keilman and MWD Kira L471 enjoy some down time during their deployment with a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force unit in Afghanistan. "She wasn't too thrilled to be on it but she cooperated enough to get two or three pics, but was happy as hell to get off," he says. (Photo courtesy Chris Keilman)
Kira was treated like a queen by the Special Forces unit she helped support. When she rode in the mine-resistant light armored vehicle (an RG), she got a window seat and plenty of beef jerky. (Photo courtesy of Chris Keilman)
Ajax L523 was handler Air Force Staff Sgt. James Bailey's first MWD. "What a great dog," he still says. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Marine handler Sgt. AJ Neito, his dog Lucy, and EOD tech Sgt. Rosendo Mesa survived a 20-hour firefight with the Taliban and wake up after a little sleep to face another day of war. Lucy's harness contains infrared chem-lights so they could find her at night through night vision goggles when she was off leash. (Photo courtesy of Rosendo Mesa)
Marine Sgt. Mesa, Sgt. Neito, and Lucy take a break from the heavy action in Afghanistan. Part of Sgt. Mesa's job as someone who renders explosives safe is to give emergency care in the field until it's safe for a medic to do so. He plays an important role with this skill in Soldier Dogs. (Photo courtesy of Rosendo Mesa)
MWD Robby D131strikes an entertaining pose for his handler, Staff Sgt. Bailey, who was a green handler at the time. Bailey says Robby taught him the ropes in Iraq, and was a patient teacher. Robby's time with Bailey would not end after deployment, as you'll read in chapter 49, A Nice Retirement. (Photo courtesy of James Bailey)
World War I hero Sgt. Stubby lives on in taxidermy splendor at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Some handlers in Vietnam would reenlist so they could stay with their dogs a little longer rather than let them face the terrible fate of most Vietnam military working dogs. Former Marine dog handler Ron Aiello, here with his MWD Stormy, would go on to found the national nonprofit organization, the United States War Dogs Association, to better conditions for dogs and handlers and create more public awareness of working dog teams. (See Resources for more on this group.) (Photo courtesy of Ron Aiello)
Robert Kollar, a handler with the fifty-eighth Infantry Platoon Scout Dog Unit in Vietnam, never forgot his loyal scout dog, Rebel M421. Several photos of his dog still grace the walls of his house. (Photo courtesy Robert Kollar)

You never know where an IED will be hiding. Staff Sgt. Rounds and his dog Aris inspected many a vehicle during their time in Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Rounds)
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam Miller carries MWD Tina M111 while wearing full combat gear (about 70 pounds worth) in scorching 115-degree temperatures. Read more about this in Soldier Dogs, chapter 28, Heat. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
A handler coaxes his dog to go away from him to sniff out an explosive. MWDs are not commonly trained to be off leash, even though it can make for more efficient bomb detection and greater safety for those following the dog. Most teams fortunate enough to go through the Inter-Service Advanced Skills K-9 (IASK) Course, at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, will learn this skill. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
A job well done: For his detection of an explosives scent, a dog in training gets the ultimate reward: His handler's heartfelt praise and a Kong - a rubber toy beloved by most MWDs. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
A dog leads the way during a raid drill at the IASK course in Yuma. (Photo copyright Jared Dort)
The DOD's military working dog adoption program is thriving, as is Asta, a Belgian Malinois who never made it to active duty because of a back injury. She now enjoys life on beautiful acreage with a loving family in Illinois. (Photo courtesy Jerry and Karen Self)

MWD Bino, the adopted MWD of Debbie Kandoll, founder of Military Working Dog Adoptions, at the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards. This 13-year-old war hero used to sniff out explosives in Iraq. Now he enjoys a cozy home life with Debbie and family, and the occasional foray onto the red carpet. (Photo: Charley Gallay @ WireImage Cesar Canine Cuisine)
Something happened to Buck P207 when he was in Afghanistan. "He heard one too many explosions" someone explained. Learn more about Buck and canine PTSD in Soldier Dogs chapter 45, After the Traumatic Stress. (Photo copyright Estella Diaz)
Buck's new, loving family is trying to help him get past his canine PTSD. They recently adopted a young Lab puppy who reveres him. He also enjoys her company, and seems much more relaxed, say owners Larry and Lynette Sargent. (Photo copyright Estella Diaz)
Former Marine dog handler Brandon Liebert with fiancee Amanda Lothian, a former vet tech at Lackland, in the Marines Memorial Library in San Francisco. Liebert is one of many handlers who retire from the military and go on to the more lucrative job of being a contract working dog handler overseas. He was awaiting high-security clearance during their visit. (Photo copyright Maria Gooavage)
Why buy military working dogs from Europe when you can breed them locally? That's the thinking behind the DOD's increasingly successful puppy program at Lackland. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Want a puppy for a few months? The DOD is always looking for foster homes to take in pups during pivotal early months. Here "Doc" Steward Hilliard holds Aalice (dogs from the puppy program have double letters starting their names), one of the favorites of the kennel. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joe Null knows all about living with Malinois pups. He has fostered three, including the one raptly eying the ball. He also adopted the MWD he last served with on deployment. "It meant so much to be able to bring her home," he says. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
SQUEAKA-SQUEAKA! Tech. Sgt. Null's foster puppy, Boudin, accompanies him to the dog program office every day. Her toys are scattered all over the large office. Here she squeaks one of her favorites as adoption coordinator John Engstrom tries to focus on his work. (She doesn't have a traditional puppy program name. You can find out why not in the book. Too long for a caption.) (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Chow time is a major affair at Lackland, with hundreds of hungry dogs, many of them needing tailored diets. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Most MWDs start their careers at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. Here a German shorthaired pointer gets his belly stitches examined a few days after surgery to stitch his stomach to his abdominal wall. It's a lifesaving surgery done to prevent complications with bloat, and all MWDs greater than 35 pounds now receive this surgery as part of their "induction." (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
During hot summer months at Lackland, it's important that training happens as soon as the sun comes up to minimize heat injuries. Here Air Force Master Sergeant Rick Reidel speaks with the author as the sun rises and barking dogs await their handlers. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
"Oh I love him. I'd take him home with me if I could," says student handler Navy MASN Glenn Patton of Hugo P128, the dog he's been assigned at the handler course. Patton's ear had a serious run-in with a loose MWD the week before, but his desire to be a dog handler was stronger than ever. Read about it in Soldier Dogs chapter 20, I Try Not to Notice the Blood.

Student handlers at Lackland spend time every morning bonding with the dog they've been assigned. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
MWD logo on the door of a Lackland patrol patrol-dog practice building. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
A dog trainer at Lackland AFB tries to get the attention of a young Malinois. Lackland (aka the 341st Training Squadron) is home of the biggest dog-training school in the world. Dogs come here for 90 to 120 days to learn how to do their jobs. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
A Malinois "student" at Lackland puts the bite on a trainer's protected arm. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
The bite alone is the reward in many types of patrol work. Here a Malinois "student" dog proudly trots with the arm protector a trainer gave her after she chomped into it well. (Photo copyright Robin Jerstad)
Like many MWDs, Bico F544 is an intentional mixed breed. "Shepherd, Malinois and possibly pitbull. He has the black and tan marking like a shep, the high drive and personality of a Mal, and the muscles and head of a pit," says Air Force Staff Sgt. Christine Campos. "He's my baby." (Photo courtesy Christine Campos)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Keilman enjoys some much-needed down time with his MWD Kira while they had real shelter during a very arduous tour in Afghanistan. This is the ultimate happiness for a MWD dog; she shares the cot and the lap of the handler she lives for, all while having a Kong in her mouth. (Photo courtesy of Chris Keilman)
Night ops were not uncommon during Staff Sgt. Keilman's deployment with Kira. About this photo, he writes "kind of a crazy pic that one of my guys love to do, through the NVG's ( Night Vision Goggles). You cant really see me but you can't miss the Queen." (Kira was treated royally by the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force unit she and Keilman supported. Read about how these highly trained combatants babied her in Soldier Dogs chapter 40, Special Effects)
Not all MWDs are created equal. Cinte M401 has a great nose, but he keeps smashing it, says Army Sgt. Amanda Ingraham. Read more about this lovable fellow in Soldier Dogs chapter 42, Rex...And Cinte
Sgt. Ingraham's previous dog, Rex L274, had huge paws, as seen here with his paw on her boot. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Ingraham)
Davy, like most MWDs, has two jobs: Protect and detect. Here she is on the lookout for anything awry during a mission in Afghanistan. (Photo courtesy of Marcus Bates)
Military working dogs can do so many things, but shooting the enemy is not generally one of them, despite Lucy's pose over a grape field in Afghanistan. (Photo courtesy of Rosendo Mesa)

Brian Hare, head of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, hopes some of the work his lab is doing will help military working dogs and handlers. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Induction as a military working dog involves such pleasantries as tattoos and surgeries. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
The Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base offers cutting-edge care for MWDs, including CT scans tailored for the canine set. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Until you see a sign of a paw sticking out from the blue sheeting, it's hard to tell if these surgeons are working on a human or a dog. Dogs at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base get state-of-the-art care. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Hours outside in 115-degree heat can take a toll on even the toughest Marine. Here Gunny Knight jokingly cools off in the office fridge during a scorching day at the Yuma Proving Ground. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)
Author Maria Goodavage's affable yellow Lab, Jake - who apparently has at least some of what it takes to be a MWD - has his own role in Soldier Dogs. (Photo copyright Maria Goodavage)

When a MWD dies, the memorial it is a solemn, sad occasion. (Photo courtesy of Emily Pieracci)
Handlers who are able to adopt their MWD can give their dog the kind of burial they feel befitting to the canine partner they've deeply bonded with. Marine Sgt. Mark Vierig carried the body of Duc B016 from his Utah home across a river. He created this riverside memorial, complete with the ribbons and medals he knows Duc deserves. He says he passing fishermen would stop by and pay homage to "a great dog." (Photo courtesy of Mark Vierig)
MWD Danita in Iraq. She made it back from this deployment, unlike many other military dogs, who will continue leading the way into some of the world's most dangerous places - all for a toy and a word of praise. (Photo courtesy of Richard Crotty)
Military working dog teams will continue walking point together for as long as there are military missions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Dilia Ayala)