WARDOG MARINE (Blog Author)
My name is Sgt Mike Dowling. I was a military working dog handler in the Marine Corps from 2001-2005. In 2004 my dog Rex and I had the privilege of being a part of the first group of war dog teams sent into combat during OIF II (Operation Iraqi Freedom). We were based out of Camp Pendleton, Ca and operated with 2/2 in Mahmudiyah and Fallujah, Iraq. Together Rex and I earned many awards and had a lot of achievements that I am proud of and grateful for. I started this blog to honor dog teams worldwide and share the incredible value they bring. I am also asked many questions about the dogs so if you have any feel free to email them here k9prideblog@yahoo.com and I will try to respond as soon as I can. Please leave comments and share any thoughts you may have. Semper Fi
K9 PRIDE 
April 28, 2008 at 11:26 am
Cool blog, it’s nice to hear about the some of the unsung heroes that the media ignores. Thank you & your dogs for your service. I greatly appreciate it!
April 28, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I too love the blog. I just read every entry (in reverse order) and had a lot of fun watching the videos- especially Robby letting his handler know it isn’t nice to taunt about the treats!
May 1, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog and directing me to yours. Loved reading about the amazing work these animals do. I plant to back read later tonight.
Hallie
http://wonderfulworldofweiners.blogspot.com/
May 3, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Thank you for starting this blog for the unsung K-9 heroes and their handlers. I have “adopted” 2 canine teams through Soldier’s Angels. I have the greatest admiration for the teams. Thank you for all you’ve done and are doing to keep us safe. Terrorism can never win.
May 12, 2008 at 6:39 am
Great site! Important information for dog lovers everywhere. These heroes deserve their place in history!
August 26, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hey Mike, I think it’s great you are helping inform people about the k-9 program and the MWDs. Tom says Hi.
October 4, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Found you on YouTube while looking at videos of MWDs! Hope you’re doing well. You probably don’t remember me from Adam, but I worked with you as a victim advocate at Camp Pendleton back then… I was lucky enough to adopt MWD Art following his retirement and I’m on Cloud 9… my goal in life is to make his remaining days the best of his life and spoil him rotten!! Hard to believe my sweet boy was a serious war dog, but I’ve seen the tapes and some aggression when he thinks a stranger is too close to Mom (and appropriately so) as it’s just him and me. Daughter is now an Air Force Dog Handler and couldn’t be happier… Son in college, and Pops is a contractor to the Corps in Hawaii. Give us a holler!
January 31, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I still remember the day we took that aggression picture at Pendleton, I still have mine with Rokka, god rest his soul, in my “I love me” room. I wish I could have gotten a copy of our group one. Those are some of my best memories of the the Corps this far. You did real good with this blog, and sure did bring back some great times in K-9. Take Care and god speed.
Mario
August 5, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I am not sure if anyone will ever read this, but I work at a retirement facility in Silverdale, WA. The residents here have shown a bit of interest in seeing a presentation of military or security dogs, and the Navy being so close, it was my first place to start looking for some contacts. This page was the first I came across. Would you be interested in putting together a short show for the residents here?
– Rachel Ostrow
Director of Wellness Programming
December 30, 2011 at 10:10 am
I just finished reading “Sergeant Rex” . I’d like personally thank you sir, for your sevice and heroism. The praise goes out to Rex. Politics and whatever else aside, you are both heros. You saved countless lives and endured in conditions that most us could not begin to imagine. Its beyond awesome that you book sheds some light on the contribution of dog teams. I’m a dog guy as well I have four GSDs and I am also a certified decoy for a police dog training organization here in Pa although we are nowhere close to your level. None the less, it’s great to have the true worth of skilled K9 teams brought to light, so thank you for that and once again thank you so much for your sevice. May God bless you Michael along with all our military and thank you for sharing your story.
Sincerely
Greg
December 30, 2011 at 10:12 am
And lol…. My apologies for the spelling and grammer errors.. I obviously need more typing practice on a smartphone ..
February 25, 2012 at 10:10 am
Hi Michael, I am reading your book now ~ amazing!!! You cannot undersestimate the value of these fantastic dog. By the way, my father was a DVM and was head veterinarian in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and was responsible for the dog programs in the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand. And I was happy to read about Science Diet ~ he worked with them to develop MSD & HRH in the 90s. He was close friends with both Mark Morris Sr & Jr. Good luck to you!! Kind regards, Vallie Szymanski
PS I am a co-founder of the Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness ORG and we have a human/animal healilng component and my Afghan Hound is our official Therapy Dog!
March 27, 2012 at 9:57 am
Hello, I am Jack withington, member of Joe Rosenthal Chapter USMC Combat Corespondent Assoc. We meet in Alameda once a month. Would you be interested in being a speaker at one of our meetings.
Thanks,
Jack Withington
June 15, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Hello Michael…I just wrote an email to you and would love to hear more about your experience as a War Dog Handler in combat.
Semper Fi….
Thank You and your Partner for your service and risking your life for us!!! Dog Bless
July 19, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Hey there my name is Adam R. from Porterville,CA
I always like that M.O.S. dog-handler how do yuo enter that field?
Can i get in that field of work if i have a 50 on my asvab test?? i would like to here back from you. Thank you.