Pantops Pet Salon & Spa
Charlottesville's Professional Dog Grooming

Come in and get your complmentary Halloween bandana or bows!!!

Hi, my name is Laura Sapino, and I am the new owner of the Pantops Pet Salon. My husband and I have three children, and currently live in Crozet. I am 40 years old, and the only time I did not groom was for a four year stint in the military as an air traffic controller. I am very excited about taking over the business, and providing you with the services you already enjoy. I have been grooming under Dad’s guidance from the age of eleven. I am familiar with every aspect of the business, and have probably had my hands on most of our customers already.

I am looking forward to offering you some new options. We are now on Facebook and invite you to join our site as a friend. Come enjoy pictures of the week, quotes, funny videos, discounts and more. We hope to expand our blog on the main website to include a “Pet of the Week” with a brief update and photos of your pets to enjoy. I have three children, ages eight, twelve and fifteen so I am going to keep up with the times by incorporating technology while maintaining the quality and friendly service that have kept our customers loyal through thirty-five years of business.

I look forward to seeing you soon, and having my hands on the day to day business. Please feel free to share any thoughts or ideas here on our blog!!

It is my contention that good manners and being nice are a prerequisite for companion dogs. We expect politeness and respect from our children and each other, why not from our dogs? A dog that is extremely affectionate and “just loves everybody” can be great but not if she’s jumping on a young child. Even small dogs can scratch your legs or the face of a toddler. I use the same correlation with my children and grandchildren – you can make straight A’s and score every touchdown, but if you’re not nice, who cares? Kinda like “pretty is as pretty does,” a saying my wife grew up with.

Imagine how we feel as groomers when a dog has to be dragged in, jerking its owner all over the place and unresponsive to commands. What do they imagine is going to take place when we require that same dog to be still three feet off the floor on a grooming table with scissors and noisy clippers around him? It’s impossible for us to train a dog that we only see once every 6 to 8 weeks. Remember, initial basic training needs to happen a couple of times a day, every day, for at least a half an hour.

Not only is a well-trained pet easier for us to handle, but that dog will be more comfortable during grooming. Let’s take a look at that process and figure out what kind of training (education) and exposure would help your dog accept it. Yes, I say “accept.” Expecting your dog to “like” grooming is like expecting us to like the dentist! Honestly, we are content with a certain level of tolerance and if we get an occasional lick on the face or a tail wag, that’s a bonus. It only makes sense when you consider what your dog likes to do and what actually happens here. Your dog loves to run freely, smell everything, play ball, go for a walk and eat. Here, she needs to stand still on a table while we brush out tangles, poke in her ears with cotton swabs, take vibrating clippers over her body to cut hair, then into the tub for a bath and scrubbing with a brush, followed by blow drying from a noisy machine. And let’s not forget her favorite activity, getting her nails clipped. For your dog’s sake and ours as well, there is some basic training you can do.

House Breaking: As in your home, it applies here as well as at the veterinary clinic or friend’s house. We all appreciate a dog who knows that the bathroom is outside, not inside! In addition to training, ensure that you take your dog on a good walk before coming in–poop and pee please. With your permission, we will walk puppies and geriatrics as age may dictate more frequent needs. Now that I’m sixty-three, when I need to go, I NEED TO GO. So I’m happy to walk the older dog.

Lead Training: We groom with scissors and clipper blades, both of which are sharp enough to cut hair so they can be dangerous. In order to stabilize a dog and keep them centered on the table, we use a grooming noose. This simulates a lead and collar (which, when used properly, keeps your dog under control and by your side). If a pet responds properly to being on lead, holding still on the table with the gentle assistance of a noose makes sense as well. Even dogs who run free on a farm or in a fenced-in back yard benefit from lead training.

Blow Drying: Introducing your dog to a hand held hair dryer at home helps in two ways – he can get comfortable with both the noise and the feeling of forced air. First, simply introduce the dryer by turning it on and keeping it at a distance. Don’t get emotional, stay calm. Any anxiety on your part will be reflected in your pet. When your dog is comfortable with the sound, bring the dryer closer and eventually make contact on the back, above the tail where they love to be scratched. Don’t go near his face. After many brief sessions of turning the dryer on and rubbing the back, you can gradually move around to the rest of the body. In addition to the noise, he will learn to accept the vibration, something the clippers will do. We have some dogs that come in for a first haircut and are so laid back that they accept each phase with ease and grace (I want some of what they’ve been smoking!). Others may well go ballistic. Training is a very personal thing and depending on your dogs predisposed personality, you may have to spend more time in each phase. Maybe it won’t work at all. Even dogs from the same litter can react to the world in completely different ways.

Paw Holding: Most dogs don’t like their paws messed with and nail clipping is high on the list to get a “don’t you dare!” reaction, most often expressed by a raised lip and growl. Same goes for tails. Teaching your dog how to “shake” is a good way to start. Each time you take his paw in your hand, try to hold it for an increasingly long period. Once he will let you hold on for a while, begin to massage the toes separately. Increase the duration and we will probably be able to clip nails and scissor around paws with ease. Brushing and clipping the leg will also come easier. You can use a similar method with the tail. Take it gently and hold it for longer each time so that your dog can accept the position.

Socializing: Get your dog out and about at an early age. Introduce her to other dogs as well as people. Remember, when you first introduce your dog to us, we will be total strangers. Some dogs are instinctively more wary than others simply because of breeding. My golden Lizzie never met a human she didn’t like…and that was from day one. Most guard dogs are not that way. Keep in mind, we are a grooming Salon and have as many as 25 – 30 pets here during our busiest times. While we don’t allow dogs from different owners to share a run, they are next door and your pet needs to accept that.

All that being said, happy training and thanks! Every bit you do at home makes an impact with us. If you would like some help with your training, we would like to recommennd Alison Wilson, a local operator of Bark Busters Home Dog Training.

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My name is Alison Wilson and I am the owner/operator of Bark Busters Home Dog Training. I am a certified behavioral trainer of dogs and their owners. The Bark Busters method focuses on a dog’s need for consistent leadership and education to become a good citizen in our community. Dogs don’t instinctually know how to behave; we need to teach them how to be socially acceptable in our world.

I became a Bark Buster trainer after my work experience at the SPCA. I saw many dogs being passed over for adoption because of their exuberance or what some may have misinterpreted as behavior that can’t be changed, but was merely fear in the kennel. I saw dogs being surrendered by their owners to the SPCA for reasons that I knew could be corrected with training, guidance and consistency. These were great dogs; they just needed a good education.

Like me, Bark Buster company founder Sylvia Wilson worked at an RSPCA, but in Australia. She developed the Bark Buster method by observing how dogs communicated with one another, how they let each other know when they were pleased and not so pleased. She and her husband launched the company in Australia in 1989. Bark Busters Home Dog Training has since helped well over 550,000 dogs and their owners world wide.

By teaching my clients how to better communicate with their dog, their frustration and embarrassment becomes a thing of the past. These dogs have a much better chance of remaining in their homes. I have worked in sales, marketing, and advertising, but no career has been as rewarding as Bark Busters. I love being able to help families come together and start enjoying their lives with their four legged best friend. For more information about Bark Busters:

www.barkbusters.com, or call Alison Wilson 434-973-5516

One of the breed books I own “The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds” by D. Caroline Coile, PhD., grades each breed on various characteristics from 5 (the best) to 1 (the worst).Two of the categories are friendliness towards strangers and friendliness towards other dogs – both crucial to pet grooming where we are strangers and your pet is surrounded by other dogs. Here is a sampling of the findings.

Over 200 professional dog obedience judges also ranked 110 dog breeds by intelligence. The top five in order are: Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Doberman. The last five in order are: Borzoi, Chow Chow, Bulldog, Basenji, and Afghan Hound.

Part I – Ways Dogs Communicate in Our Language

In “Watchers” by Dean Koontz, a hyper-intelligent Golden Retriever learns to communicate by typing his thoughts. In “How to Speak Dog,” it’s an Irish Setter who learns to type but this book is nonfiction! It’s written by Stanley Coren a renouwn Psychology professer who has won numerous awards for his research and publications. He describes a three-year experiment performed by Elisabeth Borgese’s Irish Setter, Arli, in 1962. Starting with dots, Borgese taught Arli how to count numeric symbols then she progressed to letters and soon to words.

Arli could distinguish the larger of two numeric symbols presented to him as well as decipher words by picking out letters. He was able to arrange tiles with the letters “G C O A G T” into “DOG” or “CAT” on command. Borgese soon moved Arli to a keyboard where he could take dictation. Unfortunately, Arli had trouble attaching meaning to the letters and difficulty connecting his action of typing with the printed page he produced. Borgese does recall a time when Arli was having gastic problems and was ignoring the keyboard. Borgese dictated “good dog get bone” and after a time, Arli made his way to the keyboard and typed “a bad a bad doog.” Occasionally, Arli would type without any dictation, producing such works as “Bed a Cat:”
cad a baf
bdd af dff
art ad
abd ad arrli
bed a ccat

Borgese decided that what he produced could be considered “poetry”–she even sent one of his poems off to a critic of modern poetry who responded that “the poems are charming. I think he has a definite affinity with the ‘concretist’ groups in Brazil, Scotland and Germany. Has he been in touch with them?” Borgese never mentioned that Arli was a dog!

Even dogs less rigorously trained than Arli have a phenomenal grasp on language. I’ve met dogs who are bilingual in English/Spanish and English/Arabic–that’s more than I can say for myself. Given the amount of words that dogs can understand and phrases they can interpret, their language ability is estimated to be about that of a three year old child.

Part II – How to Speak and Understand Dog Language
Fair is fair, if we expect them to learn our language we ought to learn some of theirs. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has ‘woofed’ back in my dog’s native tongue. I wonder if I sound like a three year old puppy? Unfortunately, I don’t even know what that woof means! If you want to learn to “talk dog,” Stanley Coren’s book will give you some pointers. For one thing, don’t point! Have you ever tried to indicate a toy by pointing? Typically your dog will look at your hand, not what you’re pointing at. Coren’s rationale is that dogs use their paws for walking so they don’t associate our “paws” with communication. The way a dog points is with his body language. Try turning your body, head, and eyesight to what you want to indicate and see if your dog understands. There’s a chart in the back of the book that translates barks but body language is easier for us humans to speak in. For example, if you’re dealing with a shy dog, try looking to the side instead of making eye contact. To dogs, eye contact is a show of dominance and can be frightening. You can portray yourself as non-threatening by approaching a nervous dog at a slant rather than head on, with your eyes focused on something on the ground.

Part III – How to Stop Barking
Given that Albemarle has recently passed a noise ordinance focused on dog barking, it is prudent to find the method that works best to quiet your dog’s “speeches.”

For more information about dog communication including miscommunication with cats and a dictionary of barks, you’ll enjoy “How to Speak Dog.” You can learn more about the author’s credits at his website.

A spunky Shih Tzu, Tater is our Pet of the Week.

~ Not “Just a Dog” ~

As society has progressed so has our relationship with dogs. For over a thousand years dogs were kept and trained to hunt, guard, rescue, find and retrieve. While technology has developed to fulfill some of those tasks and others are no longer essential for our survival, the dog has not become obsolete. We’ve grown from a communal society to an individualistic society. Families may live on opposite sides of the country and children move out often to live alone, at least at first. This leaves us with a need for companionship that the dog has stepped in to fill throughout the length of our lifespan. This endearment with dogs is getting deeper with every passing year. Breeders are breeding for friendliness just as they do a sense of smell or sight. With effort, Pit Bulls will have their aggressive nature bred out of them as only the most gentle are bred in the future.

It is not unusual to get a Christmas card signed by parents, children and Fido. Even the President of the United States had to decide on a “First Dog” within short order of raising his right hand. That event alone has raised the Portuguese Water Dog to such notoriety that breeding is lagging far behind demand. Remember when Eddie Murphy starred in Dr. Doolittle years ago and we were treated to the animals talking? Now movies and commercials regularly use anthropomorphic (anthro-human, morph-shape) dogs as a critical part of their entertainment and message. The more we humanize dogs, the more we expect and yes, demand that they be treated “humanely.”

~ Endearment through our Life Stages ~

I.  Single

With marriage happening later in life, young single people may take a dog in for company. With nothing else to compete with, the dog is the reliable go-to partner in everything from exercise to lazing around on the couch. A requirement for future relationships quickly becomes “love me, love my dog.” Rather than being a farm dog sleeping outside with the fleas, the dog may find himself welcome on the bed. As a partner in so much, the dog early on establishes a relationship of companionship that blurs the line between pet and friend. When the dog comes first, he often remains #1 or close to it. When I was starting out as a captain in the army, I got my pick of dogs and started with a German Shepard named Duke–macho guy, macho career, macho dog.

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II.  Marriage

The first thing my wife and I did upon returning from our honeymoon was get a dog. We were planning on starting our family right away, but the dog came first. Without any other demands on us outside our jobs, he was the child substitute and thus the focus of our affection. We behaved similarly to young couples I meet today during the grooming process who do trips to the park, running, hiking, couch sitting, and even bed sharing. Anything the dog wants, he gets–almost to a fault. And all we want in return is some basic obedience–and a lick in the face. As long as there are no children, this bond remains strong and increases with time.

Jenna adds: For those who take on a dog before a spouse or with a fiance, the answer to “should my best friend be included in my wedding” is more and more frequently becoming an emphatic “yes!” As you can see in the picture, my friend Ruxandra and her husband included their dogs not just at the wedding but as part of their wedding party. A picture of their dogs was even used as the cover of their invitations. “The Associated Press” recently published an article that includes tips for owners who want to include their dog in their wedding.

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Stage III.  Family

The only competition your dog has before kids is either a partner or demanding job but then comes child #1. Having kids tends to put our dogs back in perspective as pets rather than human substitutes. Over the years, Scruffy the Cairn Terrier, Sugar the Cocker and Margaret our Scottie joined us–all great family dogs but more a side show to raising and trying to feed four children. When the kids were in their teens I switched to my “impression making” breed and gentle giant, the Great Dane.

When my young lady customers get pregnant, I congratulate them but I can’t help teasing them a little bit that their dog will soon get bumped down the ladder of priorities. This is adamantly denied–not their Fifi! But more often than not that’s exactly what happens. Baby is number one and Fifi competes for attention. Fifi goes from the expensive hand scissored haircut, aromatherapy and satin pillow to a short utility cut for easy maintenance and cleanliness around Baby. Fifi better watch out or she’ll be staying in the kitchen behind a child’s gate. Then the barking begins and the demand for the attention we craved from the dog a year ago becomes a pain in the butt!

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Stage IV. Seniors

Hey all you Baby Boomers, remember when you were in your 40s and your parents in their 60s were called “senior citizens” and you thought that was appropriate because, after all, they did look older. How about that medicine cabinet–my folks both looked like they had stock in pharmaceutical companies–pills galore! Well hello grey hair, sore joints and age spots. By the time I finish taking my pills in the morning, there’s no room for breakfast! My favorite song since I turned 63 is Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing.” Without the kids around, we come back to the dog to be our companion and help us through life.

So comes my relationship with Lizzie, my Golden. Boy do I like that dog! As you can imagine, I’ve always had a strong fondness for dogs, hence the career. The better behaved, the closer the relationship. She is certainly the best mannered dog I have ever owned; no barking, heels well on and off lead, gentle and loving with everyone. The key to her endearment to me? An intense desire to please. When it comes to training, I never had to use treats or coax her to learn–she wanted to make me happy so much she learned quickly and was exceptionally happy with her reward of praise and a good petting. Bottom line is this dog is nothing but pure fun and both my wife and I are increasingly crazy about her. When you combine this with the absence of our children, I find myself getting way too attached–this one’s got me “hook, line and sinker.” Not having experienced “Stage IV” before or understood how these little old couples walking their dog in the park seemed so enamored with them, now I know. It is a predicted course when you get the right dog at the right time and if you happen to hit a home run, dog ownership provides great pleasure. Stage IV is a ball!

~What does this mean for us Financially?~

You wouldn’t give a squirrel a flea bath, or would you? As you can see in our Over-accessorizing article, we’ve gone far beyond supplying dogs their basic necessities. The retail industry has capitalized on our complex relationship in order to sell us raincoats, booties (can you imagine a farmer worrying whether his Border Collie might get rained on?) and all manner of toys geared more toward us than toward our dogs. In 1994 it is estimated that consumers spent $17 billion on their pets. In 2008? $43 billion with an estimate of $45 for 2009. There is a lot of social pressure urging us to give our dogs the best of the best if we really love them as companions and not “just dogs.”

This leads to the question of medical care. A farmer had no need to keep a dog around if he couldn’t work and while we might have some sympathy for a wild animal that appears sick there are few people who would spend their family’s money to take every raccoon in to see a veterinarian. But our dogs are our family members and the veterinary profession has evolved to accommodate our emotional attachment to them. Not too long ago, a dog just received a rabies shot and only got a check up when very sick. Now you have annual shots and office visits, heart worm medication, preventative flea and tick treatments–the list goes on and on, growing every year. Just last week I saw in the nightly news that dogs are now receiving MRIs.

Instead of veterinarians having a general practice, there are now specialists in orthopedics, oncology, urology, etc. Veterinary clinics have become veterinary hospitals. Treatment for cancer or a hip replacement is no longer out of the realm of possible treatment but will sometimes be an expectation. Just a few years ago, we complained about vet visits that cost up to $100. Now we’re lucky to get out having spent only $200-300. And the grooming profession is not far behind. Brushed your dog’s teeth lately? Does Fifi come in for an aromatherapy treatment, pedicure and mud wrap to boot? And, oh by the way, we can color your poodle pink and paint her nails too! Nothing a groomer, vet or pet store owner would like more than to make you feel guilty if you didn’t spent the time and money lining their pockets paying for products and services your dog just can’t live without. Where do we draw the line?

When it comes to things as outlandish as diamond ring shaped squeaky toys and multi-level luxury dog houses, it’s easier to say no than when dealing with health care expenses. No one wants their companion to suffer. But the cost for treatment has risen dramatically. Having enough cash on hand to cover treatment costing several thousand dollars is going to be a struggle for most of us, especially in these hard economic times. Hello pet health insurance. While it’s not a new industry, its purchase and use is not that common but it soon will be. Choices involving general treatment, major medical and deductible amount can cause prices to vary but by and large $50/month is the magic number. That is $600 more you would need to put in your annual budget. I don’t have pet insurance but if I had been paying it, I would have spent $1500 since Lizzie is now two and a half years old. If she stays healthy for another two and a half years the cost of insurance would be $3,000. What to do? Nothing and run the risk of early injury that I can’t afford, saving $50 a month in hope that she will be a healthy dog and in five years have $3000 to use for her or the rest of the family? Or pay $50 a month for insurance just as we do for our own health, a car, our home, etc. If things keep going as they are, no doubt I will opt for insurance in the near future-after all, we are talking about Lizzie here! Then again, maybe Obama can put universal health care for dogs on his to-do list. Was that a collective sigh of disgust I just heard from the Republicans and a “right on” on behalf of the Democrats? It’s nice to be an Independent.

~ What does this mean for us Morally? ~

We have a lot of difficult choices to make. If our relationship with dogs is equal to human companionship, should we be making them home-cooked meals or is kibble still “good enough”? Do you want your dog to have a salon style hair cut for her birthday? Is she going to be dressed to the nines at your side on your wedding day? How many children can you afford once you’ve budgeted for your dog? How many toys do we buy to make up for spending time at work? Is preventive treatment necessary and if not, what’s more important than the comfort of our family members? What if your dog falls short of expectations either mentally or physically, is it right for owners to be subjugated to their care and well being regardless of the return?

This confusion revolves around one main idea–what value do we place on dogs?

Are they less than human, equal to, or better than us? Do all God’s creatures really have a soul? Do they go to Heaven? Shouldn’t we spend time and money on them just as we would ourselves and maybe more since they are dependent on us? It’s bad enough I have to debate whether there is a God, Heaven or everlasting life for me, but now I wonder just what’s in store for my dog, Lizzie. As much as we may not like it today, not too many years ago the working dog was “gotten rid of” if they failed to learn quickly and do their job. Do we really think the sheepherder would keep a bad dog who failed at his work? It was hard enough feeding a family, much less a worthless dog. It would be replaced. Fast forward to the Michael Vick Saga. We bent over backwards to save the fifty or so Pit Bulls he trained for fighting in an effort to find them new homes and spent hours and lots of money on rehabilitating them. PETA would say “right on”-others would want the money spent on homeless children in Africa. But now our dog is no longer a mutt who sleeps under the house and is fed scraps. The dog is a family member and we really hope that “all dogs go to Heaven.”

So we’re caught in a period of transition and deciding what moral path to choose won’t be easy. We wouldn’t let a dog suffer in old age without “putting them to sleep,” but we allow our eighty-five year old parents to suffer from lung cancer for days and weeks, hyped up on morphine to ease the pain until they finally succumb to their last breath. Been there, done that, and it wasn’t fun. The answers won’t come easy and they will be accompanied with ever increasing costs.

The pet industry is really hot right now. Animal Planet and Discovery Channel are full of programs about breeds, training and grooming. The Retail Industry is pushing the humanizing of our best friend and Pet Supply catalogs reflect the tastes of the “Hollywood” crowd. It’s one thing to buy a short haired dog a coat or sweater for the winter, but a name-brand dress or pajamas? How about faux suede coats, rucked satin dresses, East Side Collection Tigress dresses, Velour Royalty hoodies–the list goes on and on. And if you want to dress alike, how about an Andover Argyle hat and gloves for the owner and a matching sweater for your pet?

Sorry folks, Paris Hilton and her ilk can take a hike. I need to make a living just like anyone else, but this marketing of dogs like Barbies is crossing the line. The relationship I have with my Golden Lizzie is one I hope includes dignity and respect. Dogs, in addition to being the best companion animal, are constantly being challenged to find new and unique ways to use their sense of smell, sight, and hearing. Sniffing out illegal drugs, explosives, and tracking people has been around for years…and now we are looking into cancer detection. The bond a K-9 Police Officer has with his dog is powerful. Can you imagine him putting PJ’s on that dog at night?
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Marketing doesn’t stop with the Retail Industry….grooming is just as bad. Seen pictures of any white poodles dyed pink lately? Most of my grooming magazines are full of new and unique ways of making money, but most of it is just a gimmick to get you to spend. Now, in addition to giving a haircut, I’m supposed to offer such services as pedicures with a paw soaking bath. The dog must stand in a pan filled with a moisturizing solution for 5 minutes. After being toweled dry, each foot is individually massaged with a moisturizing creme, yada yada. These are the same paws that need to walk on the sidewalk and run through the woods in a variety of weather conditions. While we need to watch them for cracks and sores, a certain amount of toughness is necessary. This treatment can be followed with a facial, moisture wrap and therapeutic massage. And if that’s not enough, throw in an exfoliating “mud scrub.” Guess what? I’m not going there and Charlottesville doesn’t want it anyway. Maybe in New York, Chicago or San Francisco–but not here in good ol’ C’ville.

Success in grooming here comes from a sincere effort to provide the basics: a good brushing, thorough bath and proper haircut when called for. It’s not a marketing ploy or a money grab; it’s about keeping your dog’s coat and skin healthy. It’s about good work and the golden rule. We’re happy to top it off with bows or a bandana for that added sparkle but not if it makes your dog uncomfortable.

Fido eats something you’re unaware of and later that day develops a bad case of diarrhea–oh boy, “make my day!” If your dog has a thick coat on his hind quarters, more often than not you end up with quite a mess. For Collie, Sheltie and and Golden types we can blend some of that hair away when they are here for grooming, making it a cleaner process. While we do cut back on hair length, we only remove what is necessary….leaving as much as 2 -3 inches of coat. If your pet tends to have loose stool anyway, give this a thought. Simply say, “Poop shoot please.”

How long did it take you to teach your dog to fetch? Honestly, my Springer Spaniel never learned how! Imagine the intensive training that dogs must go through to become trusted members of not only the police force, but the military as well. As early as ancient Roman times, dogs have been used in war. They were sent to bite and claw enemy soldiers while wearing sharp collars. During World War I, dogs were used to kill rats in the trenches. The use of working dogs surged in World War II when the US Military deployed more than 10,000 dogs for use as sentries, scouts, messengers, and mine detectors.

German Shepards and Belgian Malinois make excellent military dogs due to their intelligence, loyalty, athleticism and even their aggression–it is war, after all. But even the most loyal dog requires training. A typical program starts with 120 days of lessons from basic obedience to how to sniff for various substances including firearms, ammunition, explosives and even people in hiding. Army Col. David Rolfe is the director of the Defense Department’s Military Working Dog Program at Lackland Air Force base. Rolfe says the reward during this training is a ball or a rubber toy and some play time because “food works only so long. What the dog really wants you to do is play with it.” After becoming certified, the dogs must spend a month acclimating with their handlers and then must continue to be certified annually.

Dogs have a leg up on humans and machines. Staff Sgt. Andrew Mier, a military working dog trainer, explains that dogs strike fear in an aggressor in a way that humans can’t. “A dog creates a strong psychological deterrent.” The loyal heart of a dog is also a boon. It may take 50 years or more before a machine can replicate the sensitivity of a dog’s nose (a sense of smell up to 10x that of a human’s). Even then, a dog has an urge to please. Rolfe says, “a dog will go looking for something on its own where a machine won’t.”

There is no other animal that we trust in a life or death situation. But that very trust is a two-way street and I’m not sure how I feel about sending dogs into a warzone. It helps to know that the military respects their working dogs as soldiers. Work is under way for improved body armor and gas masks that can be fitted to a dog’s face. There are also pills in development that may help working dogs survive a nerve-gas attack. Temperatures can reach as high as 135 degrees in Afghanistan so cooling vests are also being made. Now there’s some clothing a dog could really use! Ray Booska, head of the company making the vests, says, “These dogs save the lives of our sons and daughters and we’re going to do everything we can to help them.”