The Dogs of War Podcast

Our guest for this episode is a Marine who served as a Military Working Dog Handler assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), Camp Pendleton, California. He enlisted in 2007, attended The Basic Handlers Course at Lackland AFB in 2008, and was assigned orders to Camp Pendleton. He was the first USMC MWD Handler to receive orders from Lackland to a newly developing MWD Platoon for the MEF. Navigating a new unit fresh out of K9 School, he was assigned to MWD Grief M107, a Patrol Explosive Detection Dog (PEDD), and together they trained in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. This was an exciting time in the history of the Marine Corps MWD Program because an entire platoon of dog handlers was explicitly created to support combat operations. This platoon was dedicated to training, equipping, and producing combat-ready canine teams for the rigors of deployments. In 2010, The 1st MEF MWD Platoon from Camp Pendleton deployed to Afghanistan and established a canine area on Camp Leatherneck, later known as Camp Donahue. This group of dog handlers experienced a very active Afghanistan and supported various units throughout the Helmand and Kandahar provinces. In this episode, we discuss his time in the Marine Corps, training for deployment, his deployment experiences, and his return from Afghanistan. 

Our guest for this episode is an Airmen who served as a Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

He enlisted in 1996 and attended the MWD Basic Handler Course at Lackland AFB in 1999. As a handler, he conducted numerous security missions with the Air Force and quickly deployed to Iraq in 2004 to support the increasing demand for explosive detection dogs.

After his deployment, he continued as an MWD Handler, Trainer, Kennel Master and shared his experiences to shape new handlers for future missions.

He continues his career leading the current and future generations of Airmen to support security operations throughout the Air Force.

Our guest for this episode is a retired Marine who served 20 years on active duty filling various billets within the USMC’s Military Working Dog (MWD) Program.

He has served as a Handler, Trainer, Instructor, Specialized Search Dog (SSD) Handler, Kennel Master, Marine Security Guard Detachment Commander, and the Multi-Purpose Canine Program Manager.

He started his career in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, at the Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO) MWD section where he conducted multiple missions with his MWD. He continued his canine career at Lackland AFB as an MWD Trainer selecting, training, and certifying canines for the Department of Defense (DoD).

In the rapidly changing MWD program, He became the first Marine instructor for a new advanced off-leash MWD capability, the Specialized Search Dog (or SSD). He trained handlers and SSDs to be successful canine teams for overseas deployments as an instructor. He attended an SSD course in Israel, training with an elite canine unit, and paired with SSD Lucca K458. After months of training, this new SSD team deployed twice to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. You can read about Lucca and her life in the book “Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca” by Maria Goodavage.

In 2010, he deployed beside 30 MWD teams to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) while assigned to the Military Police Support Company’s MWD Platoon under the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). He later completed a tour as a Marine Security Guard (MSG) Detachment Commander, and he returned to the MWD field as the Kennel Master for I MEF’s MWD Platoon. While assigned to the MWD Platoon, he deployed to Kuwait, establishing a forward-deployed Marine Kennel to provide various units with MWD support. He completed his career serving as the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Multi-Purpose Canine Program Manager, preparing canine teams for special operations worldwide.

Throughout his 20-year career, he has gained a wealth of operational experience. With that experience, he mentored and trained numerous MWD teams for deployments overseas, all during a period of substantial growth and development within the MWD community.

He continues to give back to the MWD community by currently serving as the President of the United States War Dogs Association. An association that exists to provide a lifetime of practical support to MWDs; their handlers and adopted families. Check out their website and social media pages for updates as this organization helps MWDs live out the retirement they deserve. Consider donating to help the organization to continue their support, if you have a retired MWD and are not aware of their services, check them out and reach out for any assistance you may need.

The United States War Dogs Association

Our guest for this episode is a Marine who has served 19 years filling various billets within the Marine Corps Military Working Dog (MWD) Program. Billets include a Military Working Dog Handler (MWD), a Combat Tracking Dog (CTD) Handler, MWD Trainer, MWD Team Deployment Training Course Instructor, and Kennel Master. He started his career in Iwakuni, Japan, where he was selected to be an MWD Handler. He has deployed as an MWD Handler in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and various stateside support missions while assigned to a Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO). He also deployed twice to Afghanistan as a CTD Handler in Operation Enduring Freedom while assigned to the Military Police Support Company’s MWD Platoon under the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) on Camp Pendleton, California. After his deployments, he was assigned to the MWD Team Deployment Training Course at the Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Yuma, Arizona. At YPG, he served as an Instructor and Course Chief and prepared hundreds of MWD Handlers for deployments to austere environments worldwide.

This episode discusses his experiences as a handler, trainer, and instructor within the USMC MWD Program. We also discuss Combat Tracking Dogs (CTD) and their role in Afghanistan.

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Our guest for this episode is a Marine Corps Veteran who served eight years filling various billets such as a Military Working Dog Handler (MWD), a Specialized Search Dog (SSD) Handler, MWD Trainer, and an MWD Team Deployment Training Course Instructor. He started his career in Camp Pendleton, California, with 1st Law Enforcement Battalion’s MWD Platoon, under the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).

There he was selected to attend the SSD Course at Lackland AFB, and upon returning to Camp Pendleton, he was assigned to SSD Saber T653.

Together, Rosendo Madrigal (Magic) and SSD Saber conducted numerous training exercises and supported security operations both stateside and overseas.

Magic also filled billets such as the Chief Trainer for Camp Butler’s MWD Section in Okinawa, Japan, and as an MWD Team Deployment Training Course Instructor at YPG (Yuma Proving Ground) in Yuma, Arizona.

This episode discusses his experiences as a handler, trainer, and instructor within the USMC MWD Program and his transition from the military into the civilian sector. He also shares his story of adopting SSD Saber and how @projectk9hero assisted Saber in getting emergency veterinary treatment. Magic is also the mastermind behind the Marine MWD Handler Memorial on Camp Pendleton to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The memorial was set in place on K9 Hill behind the Camp Pendleton Kennels in April of 2016, three years after the last Marine canine handler was lost overseas. 

Be sure to check out Magic’s canine apparel @ducexercitum

And check out organizations like 

Our guest for this episode is a Marine Corps Veteran who was part of the early generation of Military Working Dog (MWD) handlers to attend a newly developed Specialized Search Dog (SSD) course at Lackland Air Force Base. During this time, the SSD was a new MWD type designed to provide an off-leash explosive detection capability. Upon graduation, this new SSD Team left Lackland and checked into his first unit with SSD Shadow K371. He was assigned to Military Police Support Company, 2nd Marine Headquarters Group(MHG), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

In this episode, we discuss his journey in the Marine Corps as an SSD handler working alongside SSD Shadow in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our Guest for this episode is a Retired Marine who spent most of his career in prominent Military Working Dog (MWD) billets. Many of his billets were held during a very active Marine Corps MWD program and directly influenced chapters in the program’s history, which saw substantial deployments of MWD Teams to Iraq and Afghanistan. He played a pivotal role in the development of the Marine Corps's MWD Team Deployment Training Course at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Yuma, Arizona, formerly known as the Inter-Service Advanced Skills K9 Course. This course prepared MWD Teams in all services for deployments to support ongoing operations in austere environments. In this episode, we discuss his career in the Marine Corps's MWD field and how it evolved from a Law Enforcement mindset to a combat mindset.

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