Had to wipe my eyes a few times on this one.
I’d bet that those Marines who lived thanks to Cpl. Dunham’s bravery will never forget him. While the tragedy of his death is fresh, his legacy of heroism will live on through those he saved. This, in my opinion, is at the core of every soldier fighting for our freedom.
This family is truly exceptional! I hope good things for such loving people.
Labs, a man’s best friend. Hopefully they will help each other carry on for a long time.
OUH RAH!
Great post.
Not to take anything from the story, but this is a direct consequence of the new ethic in dog training that is also being applied in public schools: Positive reinforcement only. It produces a product that is great at winning contests, short bursts of awesome frenzy in the enjoyment of work, but incapable of functioning under real-life stresses and pain.
I remember a story told by Michael Ellis, one of the finest trainers of dog trainers in the country, and a producer of world class Mondio Ring competitors. He was learning about motivational training long ago upon watching some AKC trials. He wanted that kind of enthusiasm in his dogs. So he got two puppies and went to it with the goal of making them into police dogs. Everything was going great until the moment came that they dog had to learn how to deal with confrontation. One of them collapsed into a worthless introvert, as if 'What did you do to me, this wasn't part of our deal.' The other tried to eat him.
You see the same sort of thing in public school children these days. It is no wonder either, because much of what passes for "ethology" these days in developing behavioral learning modalities taught at teaching colleges was learned as results of FedGov experiments with dogs in the 1950s and 60s.
Heartwarming, isn't it?
In short, if one makes everything a game using play as a reward without corrections for misconduct or disobedience, then what you'll get is a trainee incapable of dealing with the harsh reality of adverse conditions, particularly for long periods of time. Correction indeed toughens the trainee. I'm not arguing for "yank and crank" here, but for balance.
If you go to the link and watch some of his video, give it a couple of minutes for him to get going and you'll see why he's so good.
Great post. I know how much a dog can help those who experience the pain of a loss. Roscoe was a dog “stationed”at Korat while my dad few the Thud. I have heard many stories about how comforting it was to have Roscoe around for those who suffered losses daily.
Thank you for posting this story of faith, courage and commitment....
What a heat warming story! Thanks for posting it.
What a heart warming story! Thanks for posting it.
Thank you for this touching story of sweetness, sadness, and strength.
Blessings on all of them.
I have a rescue cocker that runs for cover in a panic at the first sound of gun fire or thunder. There's nothing in his four years with me that would make him that afraid. Like another poster said, maybe sometimes it's just the nature of that particular dog.
UPDATE:
FOX ticker a few minutes ago said it seems dogs were not rightly vetted for war work. Comment from State Dept. Inspector General.
I cannot believe a MIL dog wasn’t ensured to be gun-sure.
I just love when my comments seem vindicated. >;-D