War Dogs

Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love

By: Rebecca Frankel

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

In War Dogs, Rebecca Frankel offers a riveting mix of on-the-ground reporting, her own hands-on experiences in the military working dog world, and a look at the science of dogs' special abilities - from their amazing noses and powerful jaws to their enormous sensitivity to the emotions of their human companions. The history of dogs in the U.S. military is long and rich, from the spirit-lifting mascots of the Civil War to the dogs who lead patrols hunting for IEDs today. Frankel interviewed not only handlers who deployed with dogs in wars from Vietnam to Iraq but also top military commanders, K-9 program managers, combat-trained therapists who brought dogs into war zones as part of a preemptive measure to stave off PTSD, and veterinary technicians stationed in Bagram. She makes a passionate case for maintaining a robust war-dog force. In a post-9/11 world rife with terrorist threats, nothing is more effective than a bomb-sniffing dog and his handler. With a compelling cast of humans and animals, this moving audiobook is a must-listen for all dog lovers-military and otherwise.

©2014 Rebecca Frankel (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Military aficionados as well as dog lovers will learn from and enjoy from this study of canine commandos and the service people who count on them." ( Publishers Weekly)

Good read & very enjoyable

I got this book out of curiosity and found it both interesting and moving at times. Good narration and engaging story.

Good info and interesting listen

I love this book! It is full of information on military dogs. How they are chosen. How they are trained and how amazing they are. As are the men and women that train and handle them. How many people can convince their dog to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, the second and third times? War dogs save many lives and they can do things that people just can't do. And they do it all for a bouncing Kong. The narration is good and interesting. Definitely worth my time.

Dogs good; story not so much

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Part of the time. Story began repeating on itself, so it got kind of boring after about Chapter 4.

Would you recommend War Dogs to your friends? Why or why not?

It might be a good read for someone who has not read a lot about dogs.

What aspect of Tanya Eby’s performance would you have changed?

She didn't do a very good job with male voices, particularly in battle scenes where things got intense.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No; I don't think it has the makings for a movie.

Any additional comments?

The story was a bit disjointed throughout. Jumping back and forth between the Gulf war, Vietnam, and WW I and II.

Good book

Good story but dry narrarator
Great story about our military and the special forces they use

Good stories but I wanted more

So, after reading the reviews I thought this would be a good book to listen to on a long trip. While I thought the stories were interesting, I found it to be more of a history lesson than anything else. There were times that I almost dozed and I was driving!
The stories about handler and dog were interesting and poignant and sad but nary a tear was shed. And I cry when my dogs are constipated. I was hoping it would grip me the way Love From Bagdad did. Three stars.

really enjoyed

as a handler and now trainer great info on the history of the dogs uses in the conflicts. easy to relate to the handlers loss.