Pooch Gear

By Mark Thompson Sunday, Mar. 14, 2004
    • Military dogs heading to Iraq are getting their own body armor. The Marine Corps trains German shepherds and Belgian Malinois for guard duty and, with added schooling, to sniff out bombs and drugs. Now they will be equipped with Kevlar vests, which protect the dogs from shoulders to rump. The 7-lb. vests (cost: $1,000 each) have pouches for cooling packs — panting alone won't do the trick in an Iraqi summer — as well as loops for ropes to help the dogs climb steep terrain and a harness for parachuting into hostile territory.