Working Dogs: Professional Pooches Pictures

Dedicated working dogs, like Ricky, do their duty without fail. We all benefit.

Show them thanks by perusing their coloring pages.  We owe these awesome animals. 

Some serve with the military or law enforcement, risking their lives.   Others enhance our lives by acting as guides, assistants or therapy dogs.

Let's repay them.  Pick a coloring picture.  Then use it to spread the word about these fantastic fidos.

Military Working Dogs

War dogs have been used by the military for millennia.  These days they go on patrol, sniff out bombs, provide security, act as scouts and more.

Like this unnamed dog and Navy Seal participating in training exercises in Alaska.

This is Kyra training to nose out explosives with her handler at the Norfolk, Virginia Naval Station.

Here's Ricky the totally cool hound sporting a pair of doggles but ever vigilant.  His trained nose knows where the baddies plant their bombs.

This faithful dog's eyes, ears and nose protect his soldier pal's back.  The soldier can take care of business with a bit less risk to his life.  Priceless pooch, I'd say!

Highly trained and harnessed for action!  This military working dog is ready to go where needed.  He's going by helicopter with his military master.

When tragedy strikes, the cadaver dog is called upon to locate the remains of our brave heroes.  This military working dog's trained nose can detect traces that our eye's can't find.  Their hard work helps brings a little solace to grieving relatives.

At home, cadaver working dogs often help police solve crimes.

Here's a military dog undergoing training to be a drug detection dog.  These guys can dash to  an illegal stash quickly.  It's very hard to fool these sharp noses.  So keep yours clean to avoid one so keen!

This raw recruit is just a pup.  But don't think you can slip past him.  Those ears and eyes are formidable!  Soon he'll be joining the ranks of  the remarkable military working dogs.

Here's a future four-legged hero undergoing training.  He's a bit older and more relaxed than the pup.  But will no doubt shine when his time comes!

Here's just one of the many patches that signify which unit the K9 is assigned.  This one represents a tactical research unit.

We can't forget the pooches of the past who did their duty!  These guys led the way in their day. 

First up, a courier who carried messages through the treacherous trenches of World War I.

Stay tuned for more! 

War dogs that perform with distinction just might receive this award!

But all the hero hounds should be remembered on March 13, National K9 Veterans Day!

Law Enforcement

Way back-in-the-day, this is the way the police communicated.  Here's Tess the police dog phoning headquarters circa 1935.  Pretty primitive, but better than barking, I suppose.

Fast forward many decades.  Law dogs are now called on to perform many tasks.  Their gear has been greatly upgraded too.

That's Dolce former service dog. 

Now he's the FBI's very first therapy dog.  See that VS on his vest? 

That means he's a victim specialist.  He and his handler work with victims of serious crimes.  He's the canine of calm.  Read more.

Search and Rescue

Meet Jake. Dogs like him save lives with their superior senses. 

He's schooled in the fine art of finding lost people.  He can find you in the woods or buried beneath rubble. 

Jake put his skills to use at the World Trade Center looking for casualties of the 911 attack.  He was just one among hundreds of dogs who gave their all.

Unfortunately, I was unable to discover the name of the canine hero below.  Update: The hero's name is Riley.   K. Massenburg was kind enough to provide the missing info!

He was photographed being hauled across the huge pit of debris at Ground Zero.  That must have been quite a ride.

These simple pictures are meant to honor the efforts of these working dogs.

Hopefully, they'll help to keep their memory alive.

The following video sure will.  It's touching and guaranteed to put a lump in your throat!

Service Dogs

What are service dogs? Specially trained dogs that perform critical tasks for their owners.

They can act as a person's eyes or ears, signal an impending seizure, or remind them to take medication.  Some are trained to help with therapy or mobility.

There's one now...

That well trained therapy dog is Maverick, a member of VetDogs.    VetDogs is a nonprofit that trains canines to aid America's disabled veterans.

Thank you Maverick (and fellow pooches) and your fine organization for helping our injured heroes.

Here's a faithful companion pawsing for a bit of rest next to his buddy's wheelchair. This mobility assistance dog can pick up things, turn on lights and more.   Amazing!

Here's another Jake.  This guy is an official Seeing Eye Dog, trained by The Seeing Eye.  The Seeing Eye teaches dogs to help blind people to live a fuller, richer life.

Stay tuned for more coloring pages featuring those incredibly helpful hounds.  Four-legged heroes that give it their all for us humans. 

Next time you're looking for a worthy cause to donate to, please consider one of the working dog organizations.  These dogs are expensive to train and there is always someone hoping to get one!

Sources: Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia