Belgian Malinois: The Dog That Took Down Osama Bin Laden?
The Huffington Post Dean Praetorius First Posted: 05/ 5/11 12:45 PM ET Updated: 05/ 6/11 10:47 AM ET
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Of the 80 member team that was deployed to take down bin Laden, few draw more speculation than the one on four legs.
Most likely a Belgian Malinois (though officials say it could also have been a German Shepherd), there was one non-human member of the SEAL team that raided Osama bin Laden's compound, according tothe New York Times. The heroic pooch was strapped to a Navy SEAL as they were lowered from a hovering helicopter.
The news of the dog's use in the raid broke Wednesday, but like the other members of the team that was deployed, its identity remains unknown.
While the dog is known for its bomb-sniffing prowess, it has other capabilities that make it a wonderful dog-of-war. According to the Atlantic, the dog may have been trained to "sniff out enemy troops from up to 2 miles away."
The sensory perception brought by these dogs in a wartime situation is unparalleled. “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine,” General David H. Petraeus said last year, calling for more use of dogs.
But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with "titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor," at a cost of "about $2,000 a tooth," according to the Daily. That'll get the job done.
UPDATE: Though the dog began making headlines Wednesday, GlobalAnimal.org actually picked the nugget of information out of an NY Times article on Monday. You can see their original piece here.
