Rebecca's War Dog of the Week: Marines save one of their own

By
Rebecca Frankel

Best
Defense Chief Canine Correspondent

When
it comes to the on-the-job dangers MWDs and their handlers face on the
frontlines from IEDs, Taliban sniper fire, it's easy to forget that some of the
most lethal hazards are not the far-away extremes of combat zones, but much
closer to home. For Dingo,
a five-year-old Marine Corps working dog, the lethal enemy that almost got the
better of him was a snake hiding in the grass of his own backyard.

It
was an unseasonably warm afternoon in early December. Handler Cpl. Stacy K. Chester and were running training drills
along the edge of the woods in Cherry Point, NC when Chester noticed a red mark
on the German Shepherd's leg.

"When I saw the swelling begin to rush up Dingo's leg and I
knew it was a snake bite, I thought the worst," said Chester.

The
veterinarian at the air station quickly determined that Dingo had suffered two
punctures and the rapid swelling told him that there was a great and lethal
amount of venom in Dingo's system. Chester quickly called around but no
antivenin could be found -- the nearest supply that they could find was in
Norfolk, VA hundreds of miles away and the window of opportunity for treatment
was closing fast.

When
the higher-ups at the station heard of Dingo's dire situation word from top
came through: "Do whatever it takes to get that dog
treatment." The search and rescue team was contacted and they transported Dingo
to the Norfolk naval station, saving his life. "If we had to drive him to get
the antivenin I wouldn't have Dingo here with me right now," Chester said. "They saved my best friend."

There are a few things we can takeaway from Dingo's brush
with death. For the vet clinic at Cherry point, it's knowing where the
locations of local antivenin (which they now do). But for the rest of us it's
knowing that among these teams there is an immediate call to action - that they
do rally around their working dogs. There was no hemming and hawing over
resources, no measuring of value. According to the pilot who flew Dingo to
Norfolk, they were just saving one of their own.

My first thoughts when briefed by our
operations section was, 'Wait a dog?' After being told that it was a working dog
I said, 'Hey we have a Marine bitten, let's get moving.' Those dogs are just as
important to this base as the Marines. They protect us and detect bombs that
could kill hundreds of Marines. I was happy to fly him."