Trident K9 Warriors

My Tale From the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines

By: Michael Ritland, Gary Brozek

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

As a SEAL on combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw a military working dog in action and instantly knew he found his true calling. While the SEAL teams had used dogs in the past, they never had dogs trained specifically by SEALs, for SEALs. To fill this void, Ritland started his own company after he retired, training and supplying dogs for the West Coast SEAL teams. He knew that less than 1% of all working dogs had what it takes to contribute to the success of our nation’s elite combat units.

He searched the globe for animals who fit this specific profile. These specialized canines had to pass rigorous selection tests before their serious training could begin. The results were a revelation: highly trained working dogs capable of handling both detection and apprehension work in the most extreme environments and the tensest of battlefield conditions. Though fiercely aggressive and athletic, these dogs develop a close bond with the handlers they work side by side with and the other team members. Truly integrating themselves into their units, these K9 warriors are much like their human counterparts - unwavering in their devotion to duty, strong enough and tough enough to take it to the enemy through pain, injury, or fear.

For the first time ever, listeners get an inside look at these elite K9 warriors - who they are, how they are trained, and the extreme missions they undertake saving countless lives asking for little in the way of reward. From detecting explosives to eliminating the bad guys, these powerful dogs are also some of the smartest and most highly skilled working animals on the planet.

©2013 Michael Ritland and Gary Brozek (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Very good book.

Loved every minute of it. Powerful stuff. If you're looking in this genre, the is the book for you.

Superbly written!

Narration was fantastic & lively. Captivating description of events. Strongly recommend to understand the sacrifice and severity of the day to day work of military dog teams.

Dogs have become indispensable in war

I've owned many different breeds of large dogs, and I thought I knew about training them, but this book was an eye opener on the abilities of dogs and how they're trained to go to war. Great read and I learned a lot.

A must buy

If you could sum up Trident K9 Warriors in three words, what would they be?

informative and interesting

What other book might you compare Trident K9 Warriors to and why?

No easy day, this book provides lots of background into the training and lives of our special forces.

Any additional comments?

This was a great listen. Fascinating how much time and thought, from a very early age, goes into these four legged soldiers. Not surprising how the humans who serve with the dogs enjoy having them around. Like the author, I hope our government, and if not government then society, keeps these programs going even when we are not heavily occupied in conflict.
Interested at all in dogs? Have any dogs of your own? You will appreciate and find the funny parts of this book equally entertaining.

awesome book

found this book very informative and enjoyed listening to it. I will put this in my resume read column. Great read

Heartwarming in many ways

What made the experience of listening to Trident K9 Warriors the most enjoyable?

Getting a behind-the-scenes look at how military dogs are trained and used.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Trident K9 Warriors?

Hearing Sampson's story.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Gurner – was your favorite?

n/a

Any additional comments?

The narrator did a fine job, but it was sometimes hard to discern who was talking when the author had written a dialogue.

Great book!

Loved it! All the stories and knowledge about dogs and use in combat throughout history!

A great read

I truly believe everyone should read this book. It would help reunite the USA.

great

if you love dogs then this is for you. this book will make you want to adopt and train a German Shepard.

Incredible book!

What made the experience of listening to Trident K9 Warriors the most enjoyable?

The knowledge and thoughtfulness and attention to detail of the author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Trident K9 Warriors?

Descriptions of some of the training the dogs go through. I didn't realize they do aerobics and lift weights (for lack of a better term) to build their endurance. Makes sense, I was just surprised to hear it.

Which scene was your favorite?

The MWD that chases down an Insurgent trying to get away on a moped.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

To me it was fascinating from cover to cover, but no, not all in one sitting. I like breaking it up.

Any additional comments?

If not the best book I've listened to it is certainly in my top 3. If you like dogs, and the military, this is your book. Most of it covers selection of the dogs, training them and what is expected of the handlers and team mates. The last 1/3 or so is stories about events that take place down range.