Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
A monument to dogs that have served–and sometimes died–in United States military operations and their human handlers was recently dedicated at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (JBSA-Lackland) in San Antonio, Texas. The Department of Defense’s Military Working Dog Program has been based at JBSA-Lackland since 1958. The program is the world’s largest training center for military dogs and handlers. The main pedestal of the monument features bronze statues of the four main working dog breeds used by the U.S. military since World War II–Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, Labrador retriever, and Belgian Malinois. In the midst of the dogs is a 9-foot- (2.7-meter-) tall statue of a soldier representing all handlers who served in America’s wars since World War II. About 2,500 working dogs serve with the U.S. military. They are used in patrols, for tracking and scouting, for drug and explosive detection, and for specialized missions. A Belgian Malinois named Cairo served with the U.S. Navy SEAL team that tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Objective:
Dogs have lived with people as a pet for more than 10,000 years, longer than any other animal. During that time, breeders have developed about 400 dog breeds to perform various tasks and provide companionship. Over thousands of years, such breeds as collies, komondors, and pulis were developed to herd sheep, goats, and cattle. Hounds, pointers, retrievers, setters, spaniels, and terriers were bred for various kinds of hunting. The intelligence, loyalty, and tracking ability that make dogs useful to herders and hunters serve people in other roles as well. For example, the police use dogs to track criminals and to sniff out illegal drugs and hidden explosives. Dogs assist disabled people in many ways. For example, they guide the blind and serve as “ears” for the deaf. In addition, dogs lift the spirits of patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Dogs of all breeds provide company for human beings, and many breeds were developed for this purpose. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore dogs and other animals.
Words to know:
- Belgian Malinois
- Doberman pinscher
- Dog
- German shepherd
- Guide dog
- Labrador retriever
- Military dog
- San Antonio
- Service animal
- Therapy animal
- Veterinary medicine
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name as many dog breeds as they can. (The “Breeds of purebred dogs” table in World Book’s Dog article lists over 175 dog breeds, many of which have World Book articles.)
2. Ask your students to debate this hot-button issue, “Dogs make better pets than cats.”
3. A study published in 2000 found that pit bulls were involved in one-third of 238 deadly dog attacks from 1979 to 1998. Ask your students to debate, “Communities should ban people from owning pit bulls.”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of the probable origin dates of different dog breeds. (Students may wish to use the “Breeds of purebred dogs” table in World Book’s Dog article for help.)