Photo By Lt. Jamie Moroney | U.S. Navy Military Working Dog (MWD) Debi participates in a skills demonstration with...... read more read more
GRICIGNANO, Italy – Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples hosted a K-9 Veterans Day commemoration event onboard NSA Naples’ Support Site in Gricignano, Italy, March 12, 2022.
The event, coordinated by the NSA Naples Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fitness department, Veterinary Treatment Facility (VTF), and Security MWD Team, consisted of a 5K community run with the MWDs and a MWD skills demonstration. The event was held to commemorate the service and sacrifice of America’s military and working dogs.
“It’s important to relay to the community our mission and raise awareness of what they are capable of and what they do, both for community safety and when they’re down range,” said U.S. Army Capt. Paulynne Belan, branch chief of NSA Naples VTF.
The skills demonstration showcased several dogs and their capabilities, to include explosive and scent detection, as well as various take-down scenarios. The three MWDs present for the demonstration, Szana, Boy, and Debi, varied in size, breed, and gender.
Only around 10% of all working dogs make it through the pipeline to become MWDs, noted Master-at-Arms Chief Scott Chilko, NSA Naples Kennel Master. Additionally, the MWDs typically stay at the same base for their entire career while the handlers transfer to different bases.
“I love being a dog handler because every dog is different,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Matthew Ohrvall, Kennel Leading Petty Officer and event emcee. “It’s never predictable.”
Orvhall explained the differences in the dogs and their skills and narrated the actions to watching community members during the demonstration.
Szana delighted event attendees with her ability to leap through car windows to take down a staged assailant, played by Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Nikolis Bullock, who wore a protective, padded suit.
Debi, an explosive detector dog, wowed the crowd alongside her handler by running through the obstacle course at high-speed before quickly locating the target scent.
Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Kashira Collins, Debi’s handler, enjoyed the opportunity to share the skill of the dogs and her love of her job with the NSA Naples community
When discussing her favorite part of being a MWD handler, Collins credited the pride she feels after training the dogs.
“The satisfaction of teaching your dog a skill and seeing the dog repeat that skill, and the bond you make with your dog, are two of the best parts of this job,” said Collins.
When asked what set Debbie apart from the other MWDs, Collins laughed and said, “Aside from her professional skills, Debbie is the loudest dog in the kennel, which is pretty impressive. Very vocal.”
Though K-9 Veterans Day is observed annually on March 13, the NSA Naples community was able to participate a little early with this unique event and learn more about the hard-working, four-legged professionals they see patrolling the base.
NSA Naples is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed, when they are needed to ensure security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility.
For more news on NSA Naples, please follow us on Instagram @NSANaples and Facebook at facebook.com/NSANaples/.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2022 07:16 |
| Story ID: | 416374 |
| Location: | GRICIGNANO, IT |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NSA Naples Celebrates K-9 Veterans Day, by LT Jamie Moroney, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Working Dog Handler
Military Working Dog (MWD)
Patrol explosive detection dog
