At the risk of being pedantic:

The RMP dog handler role was discontinued years ago. The RAF police still have dogs, but far fewer than they used to.

If you see anyone with a guard dog on a military base in the UK chances are they are MoD Police (who are a civilian constabulary), or Military Provost Guard Service, basically people who are ex military and fancied extending their service by coming back as guards in combats.

Most of the dogs you see abroad and in Afghan are under the control of Military Working Dogs, who are part of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. The Germany Guard Service also have a small dog section. But it literally is one man and his van.

Thank you fro the correction, my bro-in-law was in the RMP as a dog handler until (approx) eight years ago mainly on bases in Germany, Lincolnshire and a couple of sessions in The Falklands and for the last year of his service out of the dog section in some sort of rapid response unit that he still won't talk about



He is now gainfully employed as a dog handler in the Met Police.

The newspaper story itself still stands though, most of the dogs under MoD control are not repatriated due to cost and /or unsuitability for rehoming, its why from time to time you see newspaper stories of retired service personnel having paid from their own pockets to repatriate favourite dogs.

I know this is not quite the same as MoD working dogs, but this is a great charity set up to bring stray and abandoned dogs home from Afghanistan: www.nowzad.com/

I know this is not quite the same as MoD working dogs, but this is a great charity set up to bring stray and abandoned dogs home from Afghanistan: www.nowzad.com/

No, I'm sorry, that is sentimental tosh. I find it actually obscene that money can be spent and carbon emissions wasted just to move some flea-bitten hound from Afghanistan to the UK. Which, obviously, isn't "home" at all. Really, there must be a million better uses for money, and more responsible.

There's hardly any shortage of UK based charities whose general aims centre around the welfare of dogs, rehoming greyhounds being just one.

Your opinion which you are entitled to but I think you would change your mind if you were a soldier out there and the only thing that keeps you in the real world and encourages and inspires you is the stray you have been giving food and shelter to. Lets see if you would be torn away from him when your tour had finished or if you would move heaven and earth to try and bring him home. Sentimental tosh it may be, reality it is.