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A Light Switch Moment in Iraq
“To see our ability to work with these pointy-eared herder dogs at the level that guys were working with them just fascinated me, and I was just blown away by it.”
During his second deployment, on Navy SEAL Team Three during the nascent stages of the Iraq War, a definitive direction began to take shape. In the heat of the conflict, Mike Ritland witnessed the valiant efforts of military working dogs as they prevented the loss of his fellow soldiers.
Ritland’s path took a definitive turn. Witnessing military working dogs operate in the field, saving lives with their agility, intelligence, and sheer will, sparked an unwavering desire within him to be part of that world.
This light switch moment propelled Ritland to pursue dog training at a level he had never considered.
These experiences became the impetus for his future undertakings; he decided to immerse himself beyond generic knowledge into the specialized world of military and police canine training.
In the ensuing years, while serving on the SEAL teams, Ritland engrossed himself in learning about the nuances of dog training, honing skills that would later serve as the foundation of his dog training career and rehabilitation initiatives.
Diving Headfirst Into K9 Specialty Training
Ritland remained in the SEAL teams for several more years, seizing every opportunity to learn about the specialized training that sets military and police working dogs apart. With a robust knowledge base in breeding, genetic theory, veterinary medicine, and basic dog training, he began to specialize, focusing on the nuances that made these dogs elite.
The Genesis of The Warrior Dog Foundation
Post-deployment, Mike’s acumen in training military working dogs continued to flourish. Little did he know the paths his dog training expertise would take him down.
Ritland had 40% lung capacity from a lung disease that he contracted in the desert a few years prior. He planned on exiting, starting his own dog company, and going the training route. Although it was a difficult decision, he ultimately left the Navy to start his own company. Ritland returned a few years later after doing some other government K9 work with some explosive detection dogs for TSA. The TSA and DHS had some K9 programs, leading to Ritland returning as a West Coast Navy SEAL Multi-purpose K9 trainer.
A special operations unit approached Ritland and some of his colleagues with two dogs that had been injured in combat. The dogs had done multiple deployments, they were being retired, and they didn’t have anywhere for them.
"(We) all said no. I don't have any place to put these dogs. I just started the business. I was struggling to kind of make ends meet on my own. My kennel was full of prospects and puppies and business dogs; as it were, about a month went by, and they came back and asked again, which told me everybody else said no if they're asking again. So I asked them, if none of us take these two dogs, what's going to happen to them? They said, well, unfortunately, we'll probably just put them down because we don't have the resources to keep them."r
Ritland continues, “I don’t think it’s their fault. I think it’s above them. It’s our government not taking care of dogs and having programs or at least grants set aside for organizations like ours to be able to have the funds needed to take care of all working dogs, and that never being an issue. But there was nothing at that time set up. And so I just said, well, I’ve heard enough. I’ll take them. I’ll figure it out. To me, those dogs getting put down was just unacceptable. So I took them, and that was in August of 2010, and kind of the rest is history.”
Embracing the Challenge of Rehabilitating Special Circumstance Dogs
Working dogs, particularly those in roles such as police, military, customs, and border patrol, are a unique category of K9s with specialized training and responsibilities.
While many of these dedicated animals can be adopted by their handlers upon retirement, certain dogs pose challenges due to temperament issues.
"In some cases, and I would say it's a percentage point if that, the dogs are just such liabilities from a temperament. Whether it's PTSD or just kind of the emotional circumstances that they've been through that have contributed to their lack of amicability when it comes to integrating into a normal house environment, it just isn't there. And so when they check all of those boxes and kind of fit into that category, then that's where we step in and take them to prevent them from being euthanized. It is tricky because these dogs are dogs that have bitten a lot of people, most of whom were supposed to be bitten. But in the cases where we take them, it's always they've bit people that they weren't supposed to bite. And so that comes with a lot of liability."
The Demands of Rehabilitation and Safety
Operating a kennel facility that houses and works with these challenging dogs requires round-the-clock supervision by competent professionals who possess the expertise and experience to handle the complexities involved. Ritland underscores the challenges by stating, “Being able to man a 30-kennel facility with competent, experienced people is a heavy lift.” The intake, rehabilitation, and ensuring the safety of staff members and dogs is a continuous challenge that demands unwavering dedication and vigilance.That’s why we exist.”
We Shouldn’t Even Be Having This Conversation
“There’s a number of other organizations that have similar mission sets, and we all work together and have worked together in the past where we have been able to take some dogs from different organizations to help the burden on them.”
This collective effort is essential given the significant number of working K9s in the United States, estimated to be around 50,000 across various government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, Customs Border Patrol, and more.
Ritland highlights the situation by stating, “Those are the two biggest entities that run the most dogs, neither of which have a retirement program or any type of funding, There’s absolutely nothing.”
As Ritland expressed, “It is really unfortunate that our government can’t get its act together with all of the other things that the United States spends money on.”
The absence of comprehensive support for these K9 heroes is a glaring issue that needs attention. Ritland emphasizes, “To me, this should be a no-brainer, and we shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
The lack of dedicated accommodations for these dogs is likened to the challenges faced by human veterans, which often fall short. The sentiment is clear: there is a pressing need for a structured system, albeit needing improvement, akin to what exists for human veterans.
K9 Veterans Day
K9 Veterans Day originated in 1942 when the United States Army began training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, also known as the K9 Corps, during World War II. These dogs were trained for a variety of tasks, including sentry duty, scouting, and detection of mines and booby traps.
As the war progressed, the contributions of these canine soldiers became increasingly recognized and appreciated. In 1945, on March 13th, the first official K9 Veterans Day was celebrated to honor the bravery and sacrifices of these four-legged heroes.
Since then, K9 Veterans Day has been observed annually on March 13th, commemorating the day when the War Dog Program was established. It serves as a reminder of the invaluable service and companionship provided by military and law enforcement working dogs throughout history.
K9s Are In even More Danger Than Humans
I had to settle for an AI app to obtain the following information on the number of military working dogs injured or killed in service per year, as I was having difficulty finding the information anywhere else:
- On average, 29 injured dogs reported in a study, where 11 survived and 18 died with most deaths resulting from catastrophic nonsurvivable injuries
- According to the Officer Downwebsite, the Total number of police dogs killed in the Line of Duty was25 in the previous year.
In discussing the risks faced by military and police working dogs, Ritland highlighted the significant dangers these animals encounter in the line of duty.
Ritland further noted, “On the police K9 side, it’s pretty consistent where there’s dozens per year that are killed in the line of duty and even more than that injured.”
Ritland emphasized the perilous nature of their work, stating, “And if you were to put kind of a percentage on it, I would say the K9s are actually in even more danger than humans because they’re generally, if something’s really dangerous, us as human beings will send the dog in first.” This underscores the critical role these animals play as Ritland describes them as, “the tip of the spear,” especially in police operations and special military missions.
Continuing the Mission After Losing a K9 Companion
I mentioned to Ritland a documentary I watched about Julian Trent McDonald, former U.S. Army Ranger, and his K9 partner, Belgian Malinois Benno. US Army Multi-Purpose Canine Benno, 1st BN, 75th Ranger Regiment, was killed in action in 2012 in Afghanistan. McDonald needed to start training a dog immediately.
McDonald began to work as a handler for Layka, a female Belgian Malinois. It wasn’t long after that Layka lost one of her front legs.
This occurred when she was shot four times during an ambush, saving soldiers from an attacker inside the building she was sent to clear. Layka was adopted by McDonald and went to live a civilian life with him.
Layka
I ask Ritland how soldiers cope with losing a K9 partner, or having to retire a K9 partner while they are still deployed:
"When you're in that environment, there really isn't a choice. Any type of emotional taking of a knee and being in a position where you're negatively impacted or affected by losing a dog, it's no different than with the human being. You still have to continue to do the mission and drive on. And that's just, unfortunately, part of it. I think that police officers and service members are, by default and necessity, masters at compartmentalizing emotion and being able to suppress certain feelings and experiences and pushing them down and dealing with them in many instances years later, which is not healthy but it's necessary, again, if you're faced with a choice where you can be negatively impacted and end up dying or somebody else gets killed because you were a mess because of what just happened that's a pretty negative or not desirable alternative."
K9 Mikki – Hero At Home
“One of the things we’ve done at the Warrior Dog Foundation that I’m really proud of is our executive director, Laura Sellards, created this program to help with the burden of having a full kennel facility of 30 animals and a waiting list of dogs that are slotted to come,” Ritland explains.
“The Hero At Home program, which is where we provide a state-of-the-art, single-run outdoor kennel facility that we donate to the handlers so that in an instant instance, rather where the handler wants to take the dog but isn’t set up for it, let’s say he’s traveling or somebody else would need to be able to take care of the dog and can’t. Then we have this kennel facility that’s built with all of these things in mind that can withstand the wear and tear of a working dog and that somebody, a family member or a trusted family friend, could take care of the dog without having to actually put their hands on the dog. That’s a requirement,” Ritland emphasizes.
Chris Cappa, a former US Navy SEAL and K9 handler, was the first recipient of this program. Ritland adds,” I had him on my show fairly recently. He got one of these kennel runs. And it’s just been a smashing success for him being able to utilize that and bring his dog Mikki home and retire him the way we all want it to go. So, really excited about that.”
Retired Military Dogs: Adoption And Transition to Civilian Life Through Adoption
Military dogs are highly trained and exposed to a wide range of environments and situations. It is crucial for adopters to understand the unique needs of these dogs and provide proper training and socialization to help them adjust to civilian life.
I ask Ritland what the qualifications are for the adoption of a former military working dog.
"I've been bit a number of times. One here, just fairly recently, by one of the retired dogs, and it does happen fairly commonly." So you have to understand that that's a very real possibility. Not only do you need to be able to deal with that, you need to know how to handle it if it does happen. And very few people who haven't had experience with these dogs are going to understand how to do that. So it's usually either former law enforcement, former military or people that have been around, veterinarians things of that nature, people that have a pretty significant amount of experience with these animals."
In addition, it is not just the initial adoption process that is important for retired military dogs; ongoing support from their adoptive families and organizations like the Warrior Dog Foundation is crucial. These dogs may have special medical needs or require continued training and socialization, so providing them with the necessary resources and care is essential.
Final Words
Finally, I ask Ritland if there was one thing he would most want people to walk away from our interview understanding about our K9 veterans.
"Just that they need your help. They don't have a voice. And it takes us as human beings to be the voice for them. "And we have to fight for them because nobody else is. So I can't stress enough helping us or the other organizations like us, or trying to put enough pressure on our elected leaders to finally fix the problem that is our canine veterans not having allocated resources for them, that's really the big takeaway, is that the dogs need all of us to fight for them."
To learn more about the Warrior Dog Foundation and how you can help: CLICK HERE!
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