Question for Military Vets Past and Present on MWR Dogs

KDM

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With this garbage weather we've been having lately, I've been sitting in the house petting my dogs and hoping for warmer weather and it got me thinking about how calming a dog can be to a person. So I started looking up the myriad of ways dogs are helping people deal with adversities both great and small and I came across a picture of a uniformed individual holding a dog with a caption about how dogs are helping to heal various conditions that result from military service. The military has security dogs, drug dogs, bomb dogs, and search and rescue dogs, but I have yet to come across an MWR dog. To me an MWR dog is a dog that's just there to be scratched and pet by service folks whenever they wish. Which brings me to my question: Why doesn't the military have a corp of dogs that are for MWR that can deploy with the troops and do you think it would be a good idea to have them??? When I was deployed overseas, I can assure you, having a place to go and just scratch on a loving dog would have done WONDERS for me, but general order #1 prohibited having any pets. Why not have military pets?? Just trying to get some input here as to how much traction this might get. Thanks!!
 


3geese4me

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Last winter where I was deployed we had a pack of dogs that would loiter around our camp. They were nice, calm, and friendly. We would sit around and pet them. Illegal? Yes. Did leadership care? No, because they knew what having pets around did for our nerves. I know some discharged vets are allowed service animals that the va pays for. But the guidelines for getting one are fairly strict.
 

Ragnar

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The VA and Navy Hospitals use therapy dogs. I think that there is already enough stuff to worry about when on deployment to take on added responsibilities of taking care of pet dogs. Military working dogs are are not pets, under the care of a dog handler and they function as a team to complete the mission and the risk associated is taken into account.
 

KDM

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I'm not talking about individuals having a dog. I'm talking about MWR having dogs that they (MWR) are responsible for and take care of, that service folks can go and hang around while at the MWR centers.
 


Oley55

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I had a similar conversation about this the other day and adopting dogs at all the missile facilities in ND. It would be a good thing for all involved especially them shelter dogs.
 

BRK

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Without getting into too many detailed military terms, in a "stabilized" environment such as long term Iraq or Afghanistan this could 100% work, but in terms of starting a new conflict it'd need a long time to set up. I have three dogs, none of which are for work or hunting, just companionship. There would be a list of good and bad, but I'd imagine the good would well outweigh the bad.
 

Up Y'oars

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Seems like a good idea, but also costly. MWR runs off of non-appropriated funds (income from bowling fees, rentals, green fees at the golf courses, etc.). None of their money comes from appropriated funds by the federal government.

SO, in order to hire more staff at an MWR center they would also have to build the canine cages, food, supplies, equipment, exercise area, etc. and that might be cost prohibitive.

I like the idea, KDM, but wonder where the DoD would go with looking at the cost. Yes, the cost benefit analysis would be very positive, but many of these guys/gals are bean counters and not into morale topics.
 

KDM

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The dogs could only be at the garrison bases that have the typical MWR facilities as well as working dog facilities. At foreword operating bases, it wouldn't work. As far as cost, the military already pays for kennels, food, and vet support for the working type dogs, so to add an MWR dog wouldn't add very much to the cost, but I think would add very much to the morale of the troops.

Yes allen, Morale, Welfare, and Rec
 


USMCDI

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MWR?

Morale, Welfare, and Recreation???


Yup, Army and Air Force still have MWR, Marines have MCCS. Not sure about MWR but MCCS would turn that into a total shit show. They were the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse of NAF funds.
 

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