Poland Rewards Army Dogs With Military Ranks
Four of the Polish army's newest privates are a little different to most other members of the military.
Einar, Eliot, Enzo and Emi were made privates at a ceremony in a town near Warsaw this month.
But they're not regular soldiers — they're dogs.
The Polish army decided last year that military dogs could qualify for six military ranks, from private — the lowest — to sergeant.
These four animals were honored for their service in detecting explosives.
And the new policy has been welcomed by their human handlers.
"The rank is meant to honor the hard work of the dog in service," said Lance Corporal Daniel Kęsicki, who recently completed a five-month training course with Eliot.
In 2007, the dogs' regiment became the first unit of Poland's armed forces to introduce dogs into service, according to army spokesman Dominik Plaza. He said none have died in action.
During the ceremony, the dogs' handlers were each given a badge with their animals' rank that they attached to their dogs' harnesses.
The ranks are largely symbolic, Plaza said. He added that the dogs shouldn't be seen simply as tools for detecting explosives, but as living things.
The unit was recently sent to Paris for the Olympic Games and the Paralympics, where the regiment's soldiers and four of its 16 dogs helped French officers in looking for explosives.
Polish army dogs have carried out service elsewhere in international missions, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Poland also announced earlier this summer that it was sending 12 trained dogs to support the Ukrainian military in searching for mines.
The soldiers who work with the dogs volunteer for the assignment, and it becomes a commitment that lasts for the rest of the dog's life.
The handlers explained that they select their dogs, train with them, live with them and care for them even after the animals become too old to work.
But while the animals are an important part of the military, Plaza added: "Soldiers do not salute dogs!"
