Yonathan 1
Daniel Yonathan
Professor Batty
English 114B
10 May 2013
Send the Dogs in First
Dogs aren’t pets, they are “companion animals” or in some cases “companion tools”.
Animals are continuously vivisected and exploited to make human life better. Moreover, society
has found a way to integrate dogs into daily living. Specifically the police force has trained dogs
to perform tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans to execute swiftly and out of harm’s way.
Since the turn of the century German Shepherds and other dogs have been used in the armed
forces. Animals being used to aid society is not just a real life scenario, it has been discussed in
several texts and even graphic novels. The graphic novel We3 by Grant Morrison is a fictitious
depiction of animals being used as weapons similar to the way K9s are used in the police and
military. The only difference is that the animals in the novel rebel. Although animals,
particularly the K9 unit, are used to preform undesirable tasks it is because of the way humans
admire their skillset and devalue their lives that makes them so useful, yet expendable and
aspects of this should change.
The human animal relationship is completely paradoxical. This can be seen in the way
humans view K9s in the armed forces. The K9 unit is seemingly contradictory when it comes to
valuing animal life and skill. The dogs used in the military and police are trained to perform
operations that pose huge threats to human life. They are ordered to run into burning buildings,
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attack armed militia and even race across firefights. These animals don’t carry guns, and haven’t
always worn bullet proof vests to protect themselves. They also have no choice about whether or
not they want to be there. They are just programmed to perform the duties they are ordered to
perform. Not to mention they do them with great precision. This great precision is a huge factor
into why they are used in the first place. These K9s are fast, aggressive, great listeners,
motivated, attentive, and adaptable and thrive under pressure. In fact, they have better and more
sensitive senses than humans. Moreover, their ability to take direction makes them very faithful
and trust worthy. Like in We3 they are thought of to be the perfect weapon. With a remarkable
way of sensing danger and distress these agile creatures are the perfect robot. The unfortunate
part is that they are not robots. Thus making them not perfect and revealing true human nature.
Because humans find dogs to be intelligent creatures that have the necessary skillset to perform
highly dangerous tasks; this reveals that humans value the dog’s innate abilities over their actual
life.
Anthrozoologist, Hal Herzog writes about this paradox in his book, Some We Love, Some
We Hate, and Some We Eat. He doesn’t particularly write about the K9 unit, but he discusses
how contradictory the human animal relationship is. His observations help prove why humans
have no problem having a division of the armed forces devoted to exploiting the dogs
capabilities. While Herzog provides several examples of the human relationship with animals
that reveals huge contradictions; his most crucial example that relates to the K9 unit is his time
spent at the cock fighting rings. Similar to the dogs in the police, roosters are used for their
skillset. Cockfighting provides entertainment and profit for the fighters and audience. The
roosters are innately aggressive and trained do what they do best, which is fight. The cockers
brutally exploit these roosters to excessively wrestle to the point that they kill themselves.
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Though behind all this the cockers claim that they really actually do love the roosters. This
relates to the K9 unit because like the roosters the dogs are exploited to do what they do best.
This exploitation and lack of humanity towards these creatures presents a giant paradox, because
it demonstrates that humans value the benefit the animal provides humans more than the
animal’s life.
This kind of selfish behavior is seen in the graphic novel We3 and can help interpret the
deeper implications of the human animal relationship. For example, in We3, like in today’s
society, the humans of the novel have manufactured animals to perform undesirable dangerous
tasks. Moreover the animals in the novel are reported to have simply “entertained for hours but
often [are] too hard to communicate with” (Morrison 22). This is important because it explains
why animals are so easily expendable. The reason is simple, they can’t tell us how they feel.
They don’t speak and can’t show clear evident empathy. Animals like the K9s don’t have
extended families that can cognitively worry about them. Animals don’t share the simple
characteristics that humans deem “life” worthy. It is unfortunate but true. Animals, like We3
explains are very similar to robots. Especially the animals in the work force these animals are
“living weapons” the paradox in that is that they are actually referred to as “living” and not just
“weapons”. Humans are living; therefore, it isn’t life that makes people care about a creature,
thus indicating that it must have something to do with a living creature’s ability to look and be
human.
This influence is a huge factor in why animals in the armed forces are so expendable and
it is because their influence is only extended to how they benefit humans. Unlike the humans in
the armed forces that have families that care about them; the K9’s aren’t thought to have
families. They are as close to robots as the police and army can get. Moreover, these animals
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can’t have abstract casualties that humans can endure. Abstract casualties are considered the pain
and suffering friends and family feel when a family member dies. Animals like dogs don’t
noticeably share this characteristic. Thus it is easier to have a “throw the dogs in first” mentality
versus undesirably having John, one of the guys in the militia with two kids and wife, run into
the burning building, shooting terrorist to save a women and her cat. All in all, risking animal life
over human life is more efficient because it keeps humans out of risk.
Risking animal life over human is not a new concept in the police force. William F.
Handy’s book The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science provides an
understanding about the history of animal involvement in police work. It details the K9 corps and
the evolution of their existence within the armed forces. Moreover, it provides information about
the boot camp style training it puts dogs through. Most importantly, it highlights the dog’s
importance to human society and the ways in which the crime fighters have benefited from their
four legged partners.
Handy wrote this chapter about the use of dogs in police work and supports his claims
with interesting details. While it is an older book, its credibility isn’t diminished. Its credibility is
strengthened because of the parallels between today’s law enforcement affiliation with animals
and years prior. It also parallels certain fictitious works as discussed above. His book shows how
society has modified animals like they did in the graphic novel by Grant Morrison to benefit
humanity with little regard for terrestrial life other than human, thus demonstrating human’s true
feelings for animals and that is to improve human life, showing little regard for their “animal
life”. Thus this chapter helped immensely. Obviously, this book goes further into criminal law
and police science but it also adequately portrays life in the force for dogs. It demonstrates that
having a K9 unit benefits the officers that “can’t perform certain functions that the dogs can”
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(Handy 330). It also indirectly highlights the human and animal relationship and makes it very
evident that humans use animals as tools, therefore concluding that life in the police force for the
K9 unit isn’t velvet walls and soft carpet. This makes it clear that We3 really isn’t exaggerating
and that if the animals could they might rebel against their masters.
Some could make the argument that it isn’t fair for the animals to be exploited for their
skillset and aspects of this should change. These animals aren’t given a choice to be put into the
armed forces. They are born into them. Unlike the humans in the police or army these animals
haven’t enlisted. The dogs are brainwashed into running into burning buildings, after villains and
to do anything and everything necessary to protect their partner. Their partner, being a living
human likewise isn’t instructed to do anything possible to protect their living animal partner.
And because it is undesirable to be a dog in the police force there should be guidelines that
further protect their endangered wellbeing. These guidelines should propose the mandatory use
of comfortable bulletproof vests, animal safe first aid, and a limit to the number of dogs
exploited.
Moreover, K9 forces exploitation of dogs needs to be changed. Dogs are meant to be
companion animals’ not human shields. They are meant to be loved and live in a warm house,
with toys and the ambition to be taken on walks every night. Dogs shouldn’t be bred to fight
crime and risk their own lives to better human life, just because humans don’t want to have to
encounter dangerous situations. This is a human world, with human crime and human wars.
Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for dogs to help fight the problems humans cause. This unfair
parallel is seen in the real world and in the novel We3 the novel consequently gives the animals a
voice and has them rebel against the humans. This novel reveals the implications of having
animals do dangerous, human dirty work, and demonstrates how animals may feel about it.
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The graphic novel We3 by Grant Morrison, though a fictitious depiction of animals being
used as weapons is similar to the way K9s are used in the police and military. It gives the
animals voice. Moreover it exaggerates the way animals might violently react if they could.
While I do care for animal life I share the same characteristic that the cockers and armed forces
feel about animals. Although animals, particularly the K9 unit, are used to perform undesirable
tasks it is because of the way humans find animals as expendable yet admire their remarkable
skillset. This isn’t the nicest mindset, but obviously human life is more precious than animal life,
even if it involves animal death. This is because human life is relatable. Humans relate to their
own specie and can empathize and sympathize with each other. Therefore it is easier for humans
to kill an animal that they can’t share emotions with.. It is this innate kinship humans have with
each other that makes other “animal” life appears to have less meaning. While the dogs in the
military and police force don’t decide to be there, it is better to risk their lives. Frankly, even
though animals help fight our wars, they don’t mean as much to the development of society, or
human life. Humans have endless potential whereas a dog; barks, eats, sleeps and poops. Sure
the best option would be to have drones perform the tasks that both animals and humans don’t
want to perform. And while drones are being used to fight this science hasn’t been perfected.
Unlike the training in the K9 unit that has been around for hundreds of years, drones are new
robot technology that is expensive and not proven to be as reliable as our furry friends. In the
opposite fashion dogs in the armed forces are a proven science and don’t cost anything to
produce because animals willingly mate with each other. Drones can’t mate.
All in all, while it isn’t desirable to have animals risk their lives in the battle fields, it is
less desirable to have humans risk their lives. Humans have families whereas dogs don’t appear
to cognitively worry about a significant other. Dogs don’t suffer abstract causalities and have
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been used for over a hundred years as a K9 unit. They are faithful and work well. This
contradictory belief about animal and human life is constantly written and talked about. Hal
Herzog explains it in his novel, Some We Love, Some We Hate, and Some We Eat; where he uses
roosters as the example. Moreover the graphic novel We3 brings up an interesting point of
animal rebellion as a result of animal exploitation. In conclusion, humans admire certain animals
skillsets, for example the very intelligible German Shepherds and selfishly do not value their life,
therefore making them so useful, yet expendable.
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Works Cited
"Abstracts Database - National Criminal Justice Reference Service." Abstracts Database
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National Criminal Justice Reference Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
Herzog, Hal. Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's so Hard to Think
…… Straight about Animals. New York, NY: Harper, 2010. Print.
Morrison, Grant, and Frank Quitely. WE3. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.
"Social Control and Dogs: A Sociohistorical Analysis." Social Control and Dogs: A
………Sociohistorical Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
William F. Handy, Marilyn Harrington and David J. Pittman The Journal of Criminal
……….Law, Criminology, and Police Science, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Sep.-Oct, 1961),pp. 328………337