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Soldier Dogs
- The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes
- Narrated by: Nicole Vilencia
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
A leading dog-blogger offers a tour of military working dogs’ extraordinary training, heroic accomplishments, and the lasting impact they have on those who work with them.
People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound. A dog’s natural intelligence, physical abilities, and pure loyalty contribute more to our military efforts than ever before. You don’t have to be a dog lover to be fascinated by the idea that a dog—the cousin of that furry guy begging for scraps under your table—could be one of the heroes who helped execute the most vital and high-tech military mission of the new millennium.
Now Maria Goodavage, editor and featured writer for one of the world’s most widely read dog blogs, tells heartwarming stories of modern soldier dogs and the amazing bonds that develop between them and their handlers. Beyond tales of training, operations, retirement, and adoption into the families of fallen soldiers, Goodavage talks to leading dog-cognition experts about why dogs like nothing more than to be on a mission with a handler they trust, no matter how deadly the IEDs they are sniffing out, nor how far they must parachute or rappel from aircraft into enemy territory.
"Military working dogs live for love and praise from their handlers," says Ron Aiello, president of the United States War Dogs Association and a former marine scout-dog handler. "The work is all a big game, and then they get that pet, that praise. They would do anything for their handler." This is an unprecedented window into the world of these adventurous, loving warriors.
Maria Goodavage, a former reporter for USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle, is the editor and featured writer for one of the most widely read dog blogs in the world: For the Love of Dog. She is also the author of The Dog Lover’s Companion to California and The Dog Lover’s Companion to the San Francisco Bay Area. She co-produced and wrote an award-winning children's video about animals, starring the voice of Ed Asner.
Includes a bonus PDF with photographs.
An Audible for Dogs Pick: Make your dog's day. Cesar Millan shares how audiobooks can make dogs happier and calmer. Learn more.
Critic reviews
"Maria has proven her passion for the subject of military dogs with many emotionally engaging stories about these dedicated canines and the people who share their lives. She is the perfect combination of news reporter and dog lover." (Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible)
"Soldier Dogs is a fascinating book about the valiant things that military dogs do as told through the words of the soldiers who fight beside them. It also shows you how military service dogs are created, told through the words of the trainers and scientists who know the process. It is written in an easy and entertaining style and will acquaint you with dozens of canine heroes ranging from Stubby, who fought in WWI, to Cairo, who was a member of the raiding party that took down Osama Bin Laden. It is a great read for anyone who appreciates dogs and heroes." (Stanley Coren, author of The Intelligence of Dogs)
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A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalvan never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home, however, the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. In constant physical pain, he soon found himself unable to climb a simple flight of stairs or face a bus ride to the VA hospital. He drank; he argued; he cut himself off from those he loved. Then Luis met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive golden retriever....
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Very Good Book
- By Char on 08-05-11
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From Baghdad, With Love
- A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava
- By: Jay Kopelman
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Love and hope often arrive in the strangest places and in the strangest ways. During his tour of duty in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman of the U.S. Marines endured the emotional stress common for those involved in bloody battles for freedom. Although the rules forbid pets, Kopelman and his comrades adopted an abandoned puppy left behind after the battle for Fallujah. The dog (named Lava) befriended the Marines and journalists, and was eventually smuggled out of Iraq.
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Wonderful Book
- By InADaze on 10-18-06
By: Jay Kopelman
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Sergeant Rex
- The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog
- By: Mike Dowling
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Filled with harrowing tales of knife-edge bomb-detection work, including an extraordinary baptism by fire, Sergeant Rex is a heart-pounding account of how an unbreakable human-canine bond helped Mike and Rex to stay focused on their mission and save countless lives.
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Book That You Will Not Want To Put Down
- By Pamela Dale Foster on 05-11-14
By: Mike Dowling
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Touching the Dragon
- And Other Techniques for Surviving Life's Wars
- By: James Hatch, Christian D'Andrea
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, James Hatch
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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James Hatch is a former special ops Navy SEAL senior chief, master naval parachutist, and expert military dog trainer and handler. His fateful final mission in Afghanistan went south, and Hatch was left with a shattered femur from an AK-47 round and the SEAL dog who fought alongside him was dead. As a result of his horrific leg wound, his 24-year military career came to an end - and with it the only life he’d ever known. In Touching the Dragon, we witness his long road to recovery.
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Rare Honesty - Raw and Well Written
- By Diana on 06-02-18
By: James Hatch, and others
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The Loved Dog
- The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior
- By: Tamar Geller, Andrea Cagan
- Narrated by: Renée Raudman
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 15 years ago, Tamar Geller began her career as a dog trainer by observing a scientific study of wolves in the wild. She realized that the socialization and parenting techniques they used to raise their cubs were rooted in bonding, communication, and play: not in aggression, dominance, or punishment. If people used these techniques when training their dogs, she realized, there would be no need for prong collars, choke chains, or any kind of physical or verbal aggression.
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Maybe better read but a terrible listen
- By Leslie on 04-27-07
By: Tamar Geller, and others
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No Ordinary Dog
- My Partner from the SEAL Teams to the Bin Laden Raid
- By: Will Chesney, Joe Layden
- Narrated by: Will Chesney
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. This is Cairo's story, and that of his handler, Will Chesney, a SEAL Team Operator whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo's.
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A Beautiful Tribute for an Extraordinary Dog
- By Sheri B. on 04-24-20
By: Will Chesney, and others
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The Divinity of Dogs
- True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend
- By: Jennifer Skiff
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington, Danny Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Divinity of Dogs is about the moments you learn something profound about life from an experience with a dog. Featuring more than 70 stories culled from hundreds of submissions to the author's Web site, these inspiring and heartwarming true stories show where love, tolerance, comfort, compassion, loyalty, joyfulness, and even death have provided experiences that have led to spiritual enlightenment.
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Miracles abound
- By KL on 08-30-13
By: Jennifer Skiff
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Ever By My Side
- A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets
- By: Dr. Nick Trout
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Nick Trout has captivated audiences with his books that take us behind the scenes into the heartwarming - and sometimes heartrending - world of veterinary medicine. In a perfect follow-up to his first two books, he turns his lens inward and offers a funny, moving, and thoughtful, memoir about the animals he's had all his life. Nostalgic, warm, and insightful, Ever By My Side is about the power of animals to shape our lives....
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This guy is no James Herriot!
- By Crochetaway on 10-11-12
By: Dr. Nick Trout
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Dogtripping
- 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure
- By: David Rosenfelt
- Narrated by: Jeff Steitzer
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When best-selling mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from Southern California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. They had mapped the route, brought three GPSs for backup, as well as refrigerators full of food, and stoves and microwaves on which to cook them. But traveling with 25 dogs turned out to be a bigger ordeal than he anticipated, despite RVs, the extra kibble, volunteers (including a few readers), and camping equipment.
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Only about 1 hour of the book is about the trip
- By Gretchen on 10-29-13
By: David Rosenfelt
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Shade it Black
- Death and After in Iraq
- By: Jessica Goodell, John Hearn
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Jess enlisted in the Marines immediately after graduating from high school in 2001, and in 2004 she volunteered to serve in the Marine Corps' first officially declared Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq. Her platoon was tasked with recovering and processing the remains of fallen soldiers. With sensitivity and insight, Jess describes her job retrieving and examining the remains of fellow soldiers lost in combat in Iraq, and the psychological intricacy of coping with their fates, as well as her own.
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Credit-Worthy Slug to the Gut
- By Gillian on 03-25-14
By: Jessica Goodell, and others
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How to Raise the Perfect Dog
- Through Puppyhood and Beyond
- By: Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar Millan
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on Cesar's own detailed experiences raising individual puppies from some of the most popular breeds, How to Raise the Perfect Dog is like having Cesar right beside you, as your own personal expert, coaching you and your dog from the first day of your life together.
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A great primer on dog psychology
- By John Fernandes on 01-30-16
By: Melissa Jo Peltier, and others
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You Had Me at Woof
- How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
- By: Julie Klam
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Julie Klam was 30, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love. You Had Me at Woof is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions.
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dog lover in virginia
- By Margaret on 01-17-11
By: Julie Klam
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A Small Furry Prayer
- Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico....
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Great book
- By Shirley on 08-29-11
By: Steven Kotler
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What listeners say about Soldier Dogs
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- B
- 03-19-12
Excellent story of Service, Loyalty and Love
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is a great book that tells many stories of handlers and their best friends as they work through dangerous terrain in war zones across the world.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The story of the marine who was killed in action along with his dog. Very sad.
Any additional comments?
Thank a solider whenever you see them for their sacrifice. They are dying so we can be safe at home.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Mr. Lloyd, Esq.
- 06-28-15
More like a textbook
Sometimes too analytical, technical and redundant. But loved the heroics and the bonding stories. Decent listen/read.
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11 people found this helpful
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- The Sheas
- 04-01-12
Detailed and heart wrenching at times.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This book covers everything for WW I up to the UBL raid. It has fantastic historical details as well as great characters. You can find yourself attaching yourself to your dogs, only to find their fates to not be so pleasant. If you don't mind shedding a tear every few chapters, you should find this to be a VERY enjoyable listen.
What other book might you compare Soldier Dogs to and why?
A dogs purpose.
What didn’t you like about Nicole Vilencia’s performance?
Not bad, but nothing ground breaking.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
A tear here and there.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Joe
- 03-23-12
Great Story sbout the devoted Warriors
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Enjoyed the story and very well done. The MWD is a truely awesome program and these Warriors are 100% man's best friend.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Rex and Ingram because they had a special bond.
What does Nicole Vilencia bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
personality
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
yes
Any additional comments?
I would be honored to adopt a retire dog ANYTIME. Semper Fi
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9 people found this helpful
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- Jami
- 12-25-14
Brave Soldiers and Dogs
I enjoyed this audio book, although I am thinking that with all the acronyms used, it may be more conducive to read in print format. I liked that there were different sections, with different areas of focus. It was interesting to learn more about the Military Working Dog program, but I was also glad that there was a section devoted to the stories of the dogs and their handlers. This was an interesting book and will appeal to those interested in animals and the military working dog program; a huge thank you to those in the military (both 2 and 4 legged) who put their lives on the line to protect us.
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8 people found this helpful
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- JANE
- 02-11-14
for dog lovers
Any additional comments?
This wandered form the service the dogs provide to polotics. The polotics are important but could have beben added briefly at the end.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Debra A. Defrank
- 12-02-12
Great Story On America's Canine Hero's
Would you listen to Soldier Dogs again? Why?
Yes I will. Very fascinating book with a lot to absorb.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Gunny. He has a great compassion for the dogs and is so instrumental in preparing these handler/dog teams for war. The dogs are trained motivationally instead of with compulsion and he has proven that motivation is - by far - the best method to train these high drive working dogs.
Which character – as performed by Nicole Vilencia – was your favorite?
See above. Nicole Vilencia did a great job as the narrator.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
And Don't Call Them "Equipment"
Any additional comments?
This book also touched on "The Robbie Law" which allows for our canine heros that have saved countless American lives, to come home and be offered for adoption at the end of their careers and live out their lives with the dignity and love that they so deserve.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Barbara J. Anderson
- 10-18-13
Dogs friends and foes, workers and playmates.
Dogs are just amazing, they can save our lives, our soldiers lives and help our country!
Even the ones that didn't quite, "make the grade", are in great demand and are still very useful. Police departments, fire departments, our dear handicapped friends. Thanks to the dogs and their trainers for all you have done to make these dogs, Soldier Dogs.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Elisabeth Carey
- 09-13-17
A fascinating look at America's canine soldiers
Maria Goodavage, like many people, became seriously interested in Military Working Dogs after hearing about Cairo, the dog who was part of the mission to get Osama bin Laden. She thought that surely this wouldn't be a hard subject to investigate; after all, these are dogs, not not nuclear weapons or stealth fighters.
It turns out that this is a very challenging area to investigate, precisely because these are "just dogs" and dogs who are in many ways quite secret. In many ways, in many places, they officially don't exist. This includes in veterinarian's offices, where the normal paperwork simply does not occur. She had her work cut out for her just getting in touch with the people who could tell her about these dogs and introduce her to their handlers.
But in the process, she met some wonderful people and dogs.
Goodavage was already very knowledgeable about dogs, but the lives of military working dogs and their handlers are very different from anything that happens in civilian life. Many of us have very close bonds with our dogs, especially when they are for us working dogs: service dogs, farm dogs, search and rescue dogs being just a few examples.
Handlers of military working dogs, though, depend on these dogs for their lives. Yet at the same time, they also live with the knowledge that these dogs who save their lives and the lives of other soldiers serving along side them may be killed while doing so. It's hard to beat the bond that comes from that.
Goodavage looks at the modern history of soldier dogs, their selection; their training; the washouts who are often fantastic dogs, just not for this work; the training of their handlers; the relationships between them; the work they do; the retirement of the soldier dogs who survive their service.
She also looks at the complete lack of any official recognition for what these dogs do and the lives they save by doing it. Legally, officially, a military work dog is not a dog soldier, but a piece of equipment, no different than a rifle.
Overall, it's a fascinating look at the dogs and at the people who train them and work with them.
Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 02-19-14
Great story and background
What did you love best about Soldier Dogs?
It goes into great detail and description of what role soldier dogs have in warfare. It was very interesting to hear the background and development of the program and the evolution of where it is going now to best serve our military and to best serve the dogs.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Soldier Dogs?
They make you care about the dogs. The soldiers that work with them don't view them as equipment even if they are considered such per military regulations. You want to know what happens to the dogs and what the outcomes are. You pull for the soldiers that are doing their jobs overseas and at home but you also want to pull for the dogs and have them come home as well.
Any additional comments?
There are some emotional parts of the book, but it is a great "read". I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, and to someone who is interested in non-fiction like this, or learning more about our military history.
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3 people found this helpful