Devils, Dogs Demonstrate Daily Duties

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jesus Sepulveda Torres | Police Officer Travis Cleaveland, a military working dog handler for the Provost Marshal’s Office Military Working Dogs Unit with Headquarters Battalion from Marine Corps Base Hawaii, demonstrates a mock takedown with Nero, one of the military police dogs there for Cub Scout troop 311 aboard Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, March 5, 2016. Marines and civilian officers gave different commands to their dogs, showing off their intelligence and obedience. The dog handlers also wore a bite jacket for a mock take down by the dogs to show the scouts the discipline and training the dogs show when facing a real threat. Cleaveland, a St. Cloud, Minn., native, said his military working dogs are constantly training and ready on command to stop any threat. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jesus Sepulveda Torres)  

MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA BELLOWS, HI, UNITED STATES

03.05.2016

Story by Lance Cpl. Jesus Sepulveda Torres 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII – Marines and civilian officers with the Provost Marshal’s Office Military Working Dogs Unit from Marine Corps Base Hawaii took time from their day to give a demonstration with their military dogs for a Cub Scout Pack aboard Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, March 5, 2016.

The day began as Cub Scout from Packs 311 honored the Marines and civilian officers with a scout salute while the dogs were taken out of their enclosures. Marines and civilian police officers gave different commands to their dogs, showing off their intelligence and obedience. The dog handlers also donned a bite jacket for a mock take down and show the scouts the discipline and training their dogs have when facing a threat.

The purpose of the event was to showcase the dogs and educate the Cub Scouts about what the MWD Unit does to protect this base and the surrounding area, said civilian officer Travis Cleaveland, a military dog handler with the PMO military working dogs unit from Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

“Doing these kinds of demonstrations helps the relationship between Marines and the community,” he said. “It’s an exciting job we have, so the kids got an opportunity to ask questions and get to know us better.”

It was a positive experience for everyone involved, Cleaveland, a St. Cloud, Minn., native, said. Even though that Saturday is usually their day off, the Marines still loved to come out and showcase their K9 unit’s training to the kids.

“We came in on our off time because we enjoy doing this, we enjoy seeing people’s reactions to what we do and it was as exhilarating for us just as much it is for them,” he said.

The Cub Scouts and their families got to meet the Marine Corps working dogs and it was rewarding for the scouts to see a unique, exciting demonstration that also taught them about safety, said Lisa Smith, the Cub Master for pack 311. It also made them feel safe meeting these dogs and seeing what MWD dogs can do.

“The Marines coming out here helps the relationship with the community,” she said. “We love to have contact with the Marine Corps and the other branches of the military. We appreciate the kids getting to know the Marines because they are the real heroes in the community. I knew they were probably busy and doing a very important job, but me and the kids appreciated it very much and thank them for taking time from their day and teaching these little kids a thing or two about their job. Who knows, some of these kids could possibly be future Marines.”

The Marines had a contest to see which of the three dogs they brought would get the most amount of cheering from the kids. Diego, the 2-year-old German Shepard was the crowd’s favorite.

“Today was really awesome!” Benjamin Jyimah, a Cub Scout in pack 311 said. “My dad is in the Marine Corps and it is really cool to see stuff like this. It was really cool how fast the dogs could run and also really cool how high they could jump. My favorite part was when the dogs jumped onto the bad guy and took him down.”

There was a lot of participation from the kids, and after the demonstration Marines kicked a soccer ball around and played football with them, Cpl. Michael Foster, a K9 handler and assistant trainer with the PMO military working dogs unit said. The Marines showed the scouts that just because they’re cops, it doesn’t mean they are so intimidating and the Marines and civilian police officers developed a genuine bond with the kids.

“So by doing these demos, it gets the word out: Yes we are willing to participate and help with people,” he said. “The cub scouts demo today was them reaching out to us to see if we could participate in this event, and we said absolutely.”

The dog handlers are supposed to see their dogs as just working dogs, but they are more than that, Foster said.

“I have this tattoo that says “In Canis Confiderus” which means “in dogs we trust” because ultimately we rely on our dogs so much to go above and beyond and they do that every single day,” he said. “On the deployable side, you’re relying on your dog to find explosives before someone steps on them, so the bonds between us have to be strong. They make us who we are because they are part of our family too.”

• Date Taken: 03.05.2016
• Date Posted: 03.15.2016 17:49
• Story ID: 192486
• Location: MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA BELLOWS, HI, US