When President Trump announced that U.S. special operations forces successfully raided the home of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, Americans breathlessly awaited news regarding the health and safety of one member of the team: the very good military working dog injured in the raid.
Thankfully, the dog is well and back to active duty. We now know the dog as Conan the Belgian Malinois, who will be honored at the White House in early November.
That same week Hatty, a two-year-old black Labrador retriever, got an official swearing-in ceremony on Oct. 29 at a Chicago courthouse. Hatty stood tall and placed her right paw on a legal book as she took an oath, with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx presiding over the ceremony. Hatty will handle up to 200 cases a year, comforting young children and mentally disabled victims of sexual assault and violence.
Conan’s and Hatty’s rise to fame serves as a reminder of how much the American labor force is populated with pups.
In Traverse City, Michigan, Piper the border collie worked as a Wildlife Control Canine at Cherry Capital Airport. Wearing reflective goggles and an airport vest, Piper chased birds and other wildlife away from the runways and taxiways. When Piper died in January 2018 after a year-long battle with prostate cancer, hundreds of mourners filled the City Opera House to thank the deceased dog. Nathan Coulter, a U.S. Coast Guard commander, said, “Nothing was like … seeing Piper and [his owner] clearing the runway and sending us off on a mission with a wave and a wag.”
Jake the pit bull nearly died in a burning shed outside Charleston, South Carolina, in April 2015. Firefighter William Lindler saved the dog with “mouth-to-snout breaths” and an oxygen mask. The pup, badly burned, managed to pull through, so Lindler adopted Jake as his own. Less than a year after nearly dying, the town swore Jake in as honorary firefighter and official department mascot. Now he visits schools to help teach children about fire safety.
In a divided culture, there are few things on which we can agree. But there is a consensus that these are all very good boys and girls.
