Rebecca's War Dog of the Week: Army corporal and JaJo survive IED blast together

By Rebecca Frankel

Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent

A young Army corporal and his detection dog named JaJo, a
German Shepherd, suffered life-threatening injuries from an IED blast on Sept.
15 in Afghanistan where the team was on deployment. Family members who have
been sending updates to the Military Working Dogs Facebook page (run
anonymously by former and current handlers) said that the corporal suffered
"severe blunt trauma and shrapnel injuries to his face, neck, and legs." JaJo,
who also took a hit, ultimately had
"half of his spleen removed and suffered two broken bones in his right-rear
foot."

One of the flight medics who says he was on the team that picked
up the wounded dog and handler after the blast also wrote in to MWD group about
the incident:

"The credit to saving
their lives goes to a small surgical team in Afghanistan. They did not have a
vet at their location. The surgeon, who is an Army Colonel, attended to [the
corporal] first. He later provided the lifesaving chest tube intervention to
JaJo. It was his first chest tube performed on a dog. His years of experience
and knowledge paid off to save these soldiers lives."

The handler was sent to the intensive care unit Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center, Germany and his dog to "a medical clinic nearby."
A U.S. Army article
that came out this week details the team's brief but harrowing stint in Germany
following the incident notes that the soldier when conscious asked after JaJo.

"When his nurse told
him JaJo (pronounced "zsa-zso") was being treated for injuries at a
nearby military veterinary clinic, but was doing fine, she said a tear of
relief rolled down his cheek."

Because JaJo, who is part of the Army's
TEDD program that pairs detection dogs with infantry men (Tactical Explosive
Detection Dog), was well enough, the head doctor of the Military Working Dog
Ward at the Dog Center Europe, Captain Catherine Cook, arranged for the dog to look
in on his handler. Though the soldier wasn't "initially aware of his visitor,
JaJo licked his outstretched hand. ... Moments later, an eye opened as JaJo
licked his hand again and the Soldier was alert enough give his friend a loving
cuddle."

As of Wednesday, the FB group reports
that both handler, who has continually shows signs of improvement, and JaJo are
now back stateside and continuing their recuperation.

Rebecca Frankel, on leave from
her FP desk, is currently writing a book about
military working dogs, to be published by Free Press in the Fall of 2013.

Photo Credit: There is no credit assigned from this photo.
It originally appeared with this story.