{"id":31358,"date":"2023-09-26T15:04:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T15:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/09\/26\/congress-may-create-medal-to-honor-heroic-military-dogs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:18:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:18:41","slug":"congress-may-create-medal-to-honor-heroic-military-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2023\/09\/26\/congress-may-create-medal-to-honor-heroic-military-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress may create medal to honor heroic military dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military working dogs that are killed in action or perform an exceptionally courageous act may be eligible to receive a new decoration thanks to a provision included in the House version of the annual defense bill in Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the award\u2019s creation, military dogs that have long worked alongside troops on and off the battlefield would be eligible to receive a formal, canine-specific decoration for their service. Dogs first earned an official role as four-legged U.S. fighters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/Multimedia\/Experience\/Four-Legged-Fighters\/\" target=\"_blank\">with the instatement<\/a> of the Army K-9 Corps in 1942, though they had worked alongside their two-legged counterparts long before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cService dogs are not equipment,\u201d Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who proposed the measure in Congress, told Military Times. Slotkin added that her life was consistently protected by working dogs during her time in Iraq with the CIA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slotkin introduced the amendment to the House version of the 2024 fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2023\/07\/14\/house-narrowly-passes-defense-bill-after-dems-defect-over-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\">which passed in July<\/a>, as a means of throwing courageous canines a bone. The measure is not currently in the Senate version of the annual defense bill and faces a long road ahead before it makes it out of the doghouse to be signed into law. Slotkin <a href=\"https:\/\/democraticleader.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/leader-jeffries-announces-democratic-conferees-national-defense-authorization\" target=\"_blank\">noted that she was named last week to the conference committee<\/a> that will look to bridge the gap between the two versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2023\/06\/21\/lawmakers-float-grant-program-to-get-service-dogs-to-struggling-vets\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4451249.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Lawmakers float grant program to get service dogs to struggling vets<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The proposal would provide $2 million a year to community groups to pay for the costs of giving service dogs to veterans.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Current forms of Pentagon recognition for military working dogs often come in conjunction with honors given to their handlers. A Military Working Dog Handler Certificate of Commendation may be awarded to handlers \u201cfor acts of valor or meritorious achievement on or after 13 August 2018, by such handlers and their working dog,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/static.e-publishing.af.mil\/production\/1\/af_a1\/publication\/dafman36-2806\/dafman36-2806.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">according to an Air Force memo<\/a>. The certificate includes the handler\u2019s information and may also include the military working dog\u2019s name. Service members told Military Times they have also seen military canines awarded achievement medals in an unofficial capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six-year-old year old Rosco, a Belgian Malinois patrol drug detector dog, has been partnered with Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittney Turco since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s the one doing most of the work using his \u2026 capabilities of a dog that a human can\u2019t do,\u201d said Turco, a canine handler with the 802nd Security Forces Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. \u201cI would say they are the true heroes at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approximately 275 dogs are trained each year at Lackland, where an internal breeding program is used to produce 10% to 15% of military working dogs, Christa D\u2019Andrea, a spokesperson for the 37th Training Wing, told Military Times. Dogs at Lackland, also home to the 37th Training Wing\u2019s 341st Training Squadron, go on to support DoD missions and other government agencies like the Secret Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are currently around 1,600 military working dogs in service in various assignments around the world, D\u2019Andrea said, with 77% of those roles serving in explosive detection capacities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure to create the military working dog decoration is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/4081?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22military+working+dog+slotkin%22%7D&#038;s=2&#038;r=1\" target=\"_blank\">included in a bill Slotkin introduced<\/a> earlier this summer. The congresswoman, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, has previously championed legislation for military dogs, sponsoring in 2021 the <a href=\"https:\/\/slotkin.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/slotkin-joins-president-biden-signing-paws-veterans-therapy-act-law\" target=\"_blank\">Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act<\/a> as a means of connecting veterans with service dogs in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other possible medals awarded beyond the scope of the Defense Department include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdsa.org.uk\/what-we-do\/animal-awards-programme\/pdsa-dickin-medal\" target=\"_blank\">the Dickin Medal from the People\u2019s Dispensary for Sick Animals<\/a> and those <a href=\"https:\/\/animalsinwarandpeace.org\/about-the-medals\" target=\"_blank\">from the group Animals in War &amp; Peace<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nonprofit American Humane\u2019s Hero Dog Awards offers another opportunity for pooches in the armed forces to earn an accolade for their service. Four-year-old German shorthaired pointer Buda is this year\u2019s top military dog in the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The black and white K-9 has participated in over 185 operational deployments and engagements, including performing safety sweeps of vessels, security at events like Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles and serving in response to bomb threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"818\" height=\"843\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/canine-medal-two.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-108447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/canine-medal-two.jpg.jpg 818w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/canine-medal-two.jpg.jpg?resize=291,300 291w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/canine-medal-two.jpg.jpg?resize=768,791 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 818px) 100vw, 818px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Petty Officer First Class Chase Leamer and Coast Guard dog Buda. (Courtesy of Petty Officer First Class Chase Leamer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buda and his handler, Petty Officer First Class Chase Leamer, 29, a maritime enforcement specialist with the Coast Guard\u2019s Maritime Security Response Team West, have worked together for about two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would be awesome to have these dogs awarded as much as the normal service member is awarded for how hard they work,\u201d Leamer told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slotkin\u2019s office said this legislation, however, may not apply to the Coast Guard. Instead, Coast Guard pups fall under the Department of Homeland Security and are typically termed \u201cexplosives detection dog\u201d or \u201cexplosives detection canine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAmerica\u2019s bravest military men, women and military working dogs give so much to our country and need our support. Their sacrifices should be recognized,\u201d Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, told Military Times in a statement. \u201cWe support efforts in Congress to create a new decoration for military working dogs who are killed in action or who perform courageous acts. It\u2019s the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new decoration that would honor military working dogs is included in the House version of the annual defense bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":38,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,11,31,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3267],"class_list":["post-31358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-fedlife","category-home","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7LYEQP3RJRFF3EKMKPZOAER4ZQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2023\/09\/26\/congress-may-create-medal-to-honor-heroic-military-dogs\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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