I was in the gym this morning warming up on the bike, trying not to watch the TV. I slipped up and noticed a story about dogs on one of the cable "new" channels. Turned out to be a pretty interesting story about military working dogs and the Veterinary care they receive if they are injured in the line of duty.

I followed up when I got home and found the web site for the Holland Military Working Dog Hospital. I took a spin around the site and came away very impressed with the level of care provided at Holland. The have a complete facility with radiology, CT scans, surgery and even rehabilitation services.

Holland is run by the Department of Defense and staffed with Army Veterinarians. You might not be aware of this, but the Army employs over 700 Veterinarians. They work in many different areas in addition to providing care for military working dogs.

Officially, the Veterinary Corps has been around since 1916, but Vets have been part of the military going back at least to the Civil War. Horses and Mules played a big role in warfare until they were displaced by jeeps in the Second World War. Service dogs have been around for a long time, too, and the ancestors of Rin Tin Tin are doing very important work today in Afganistan.

There is a great video on one website that shows a bit of what goes on at Holland, including a story about a Lab that looks a lot like Miles. This dog received a head injury and was airlifted back to Holland Military Working Dog Hospital for surgery and rehabilitation.

Pretty amazing story.