Belgian Malinois: The Dog That Took Down Osama Bin Laden?

Of the 80 member team that was deployed to take down bin Laden, few draw more speculation than the one on four legs.

Most likely a Belgian Malinois (though officials say it could also have been a German Shepherd), there was one non-human member of the SEAL team that raided Osama bin Laden's compound, according to the New York Times. The heroic pooch was strapped to a Navy SEAL as they were lowered from a hovering helicopter.

The news of the dog's use in the raid broke Wednesday, but like the other members of the team that was deployed, its identity remains unknown.

While the dog is known for its bomb-sniffing prowess, it has other capabilities that make it a wonderful dog-of-war. According to the Atlantic, the dog may have been trained to "sniff out enemy troops from up to 2 miles away."

The sensory perception brought by these dogs in a wartime situation is unparalleled. “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine,” General David H. Petraeus said last year, calling for more use of dogs.

But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with "titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor," at a cost of "about $2,000 a tooth," according to the Daily. That'll get the job done.

UPDATE: Though the dog began making headlines Wednesday, GlobalAnimal.org actually picked the nugget of information out of an NY Times article on Monday. You can see their original piece here.

UPDATE: While Wired refutes the point on titanium teeth, the Daily is yet to have corrected their report, and no other sources are reporting otherwise. That said, the topic remains a subject of debate.

Comments

[Badger33]

02:58 AM on 06/05/2011

Good dog!

[Bonnie Wilson]

11:46 AM on 06/02/2011

Crazy! This dog deffinately deserves an award for the job well done!

[C Harrison]

07:25 PM on 05/30/2011

http://bayareadogtrainer.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/note-to-the-american-public-belgian-malinois-look-dont-touch/

for all of those thinking about getting a mal... read the above article. they are not pets.. they are dogs that need a job, or will create their own job (i.e. chewing through your house).

[Rosanneofpgh]

03:19 AM on 06/17/2011

Excellent article! It should be required reading for anyone considering getting a Malinois for a pet. Some breeds are just not family pet material. It doesnt mean that there's anything wrong with the breed; just that potential dog owners should be more thoughtful when buying a pet for the family. Or better yet, rescue a dog. My daughters and I have all had rescued dogs who became beloved members of our family.

[Jocelyn Siana]

02:13 PM on 05/27/2011

Job well done..But I must say, I find it thoroughly ironic that this heroic dog's name is Cairo. It is from Arabic origin and means "victorious"..and that is just what he was, victorious in his mission!

[almost7an7angel]

06:44 AM on 05/25/2011

I've always loved dogs and cats, my first dog was a German Shepherd she was smart too, I miss her, I would love to have one of those dogs, I wonder though if they would let you pet them excessively. Every time I see a police dog I have an overwhelmed desire to pet it, do you think it would let me pet it?

[Rosanneofpgh]

03:29 AM on 06/17/2011

Only if the dog is not on duty and only if the dog's handler gives you permission. You should never try to pet a dog without the owner's permission. I ALWAYS ask permission from the owner before I pet a strange dog.

My elderly dog was very nervous around strangers, When a man came up to my husband who was carrying the dog, he asked if he could pet the dog. Before my husband could say no because the dog was growling and obviously DIDNT want to be petted, the man did anyway and got bitten for his pains. Fortunately, he was a little dog and didnt have all of his teeth, so he didnt do any damage.

[Enrique Navarro]

12:47 AM on 05/25/2011

Come on! Fangs capable of ripping through protective armor… that’s a stretch.
http://thegermanshepherddogbreed.blogspot.com/

[Romana Mattioli]

09:16 AM on 05/21/2011

nice dog!

[Andrew Nutra]

12:01 PM on 05/20/2011

Cool! I'd like to see a cat do that

[Dolmance]

01:47 PM on 05/15/2011

My dog was retired from the SEALS last year. He was on several top secret missions that I can't talk about because of national security. Just so you know, the vet says he's part terrier, part chow with a little Mexican hairless thrown in. He shakes a lot and weighs about 20 pounds. He has a skin condition, which is why he was forced to retire. But he runs faster, jumps higher and bites harder than any dog in the Navy. He's won a lot of medals, but they have to remain at the CIA headquarters in Langley. If that SEAL team had brought in my dog during the raid on Bin Laden's compound, they'd have gotten the number two guy too.

[kristydrums]

08:43 PM on 05/12/2011

Man, what a cool story!

[Max Shaw]

05:04 PM on 05/10/2011

"But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with "titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor," at a cost of "about $2,000 a tooth," according to the Daily. That'll get the job done...."

TITANIUM TEETH?!! Uber cool...Way cooler than gold plated grills with diamonds!

[C Harrison]

07:23 PM on 05/30/2011

Most of these dogs have had root canals and require titanium or stainless steel teeth so that they don't have to remove their K9 teeth. If you look at the anatomy of a K9 tooth it takes up a large part of a dog's jaw bone. When you remove that K9 from a working (especially biting) dog's jaw, it opens the dog up for jaw break, which shortens their working career. The titanium teeth aren't able to rip through armor.

[greenmtngirl14]

11:04 AM on 05/10/2011

I had a Belgian Malinois- most amazing dog ever. Loving, difficult, and loyal. He would have protected me in a split second had he ever thought I was in harms way. Loved that little (big) guy! So cool that there are navy seal pups!! To those who think titanium teeth are "harming" them- these dogs are so well loved and well fed and well trained and have a great life! Search and rescue dogs and police dogs are the some of the happiest you'll meet! The titanium teeth are no different than your dog getting into something he shouldn't or hurting his leg. Wouldn't surprise me if injuries with these dogs are less common...
Howsabout we focus on the poor, unloved, sad dogs over running the shelters. Just sayin...

[casaroonc]

08:14 AM on 05/11/2011

"Howsabout we focus on the poor, unloved, sad dogs over running the shelters."

Yep!

[casaroonc]

08:15 AM on 05/11/2011

Let me be your first.

F&F

[DanoX]

12:40 AM on 05/10/2011

"But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with "titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor," at a cost of "about $2,000 a tooth," according to the Daily. "
Absolute poopycock! You will come acros the rare one that has had it's teeth capped because they have taken to chewing on rocks, but we do not equip dogs with titanium teeth as a means of making them more lethal. Just absolute rubbish!

[PiedType]

09:01 PM on 05/12/2011

A local TV station just ran a teaser about these dogs, including a close-up shot of said teeth. They may only be caps, but they definitely exist.

[DanoX]

02:55 AM on 05/14/2011

Like I said, some of these breeds have a propensity to chew on rocks for minerals, hence the capped teeth. The teeth are never capped just because. Think about the physics of it. Metal teeth are not going to increase the psi of their bite, and the caps cannot be any sharper than their normal teeth otherwise they would injure themselves and their handlers (think about when a dog cleans itself or bites at an itch, yikes!) and capping the teeth does not alter their basic root structure of the teeth, so by way of lateral forces they are no stronger. Simply put this story is a fabrication and exaggeration meant to be used as propaganda. We want our enemies to think we have bionic dogs, and because of stories like this most of them do.

[Loxinabox]

12:55 PM on 06/02/2011

I saw an article about the teeth and though it was interesting I wonder if thing like this may be better ways to spend our time? Right now, this very minute, there are Obama operatives paying off people, using those hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal, preparing the road to reelection for Obama in 2012. And I mean they are everywhere. That mess in Wisconsin – holy ?? did that spook them. The union thing…that subject…Obama money is being funneled to the recall efforts you know. Millions of dollars to penalize those state politicians who dared to stand up to the unions. And if they succeed, watch out! It will be another huge step in centralized power by the government. I’m not talking Democrat vs Republican here…??t, no. Like I’ve said, these people, the Obamas, the current crop of union leaders…the so called progressives – they ain’t Democrats. They are something else - something not right. Something very dangerous to what we know as America. They want to change it all. They want to punish the past. They want to make an entirely different future. Hope and Change – what brilliant slogans. Simple and easy to understand. Never knew…all the times I seen those words a few years back – never knew just how sinister those words really were when in the hands of these people

[Kelly Hayes]

12:08 PM on 05/09/2011

Titanium jaws? I have to wonder how painful that process is for the dog.

[Bill Gescheider]

02:47 AM on 05/14/2011

probably less painful than the dog breaking a tooth on kevlar.

[Loxinabox]

12:56 PM on 06/02/2011

Yeah but he must dig being the big dog!

[BeautifulWorld]

07:06 AM on 05/09/2011

This article is an excellent argument in support of purebred dogs. Purebreds have intended practical purpose.

[IrieMoon]

12:23 PM on 05/09/2011

Some purebreds have practical purposes and some are still used for the purpose they were originally bred for. But some aren't. There are a lot of working dogs that are mixed breeds, it's not just purebreds who have practical purposes. It could easily have been a mixed breed dog that was along for this assignment.

[BeautifulWorld]

02:53 PM on 05/09/2011

Purebreds are the only dogs with years of documented pedigree. Purebreds are the only dogs selected for specific physical and personality characteristics generation after generation. To argue that some purebred dogs aren't used for their breeds intended purpose does nothing to negate the fact that they are nonetheless genetically to perform.

[almost7an7angel]

06:38 AM on 05/25/2011

Those dogs are not pure, look at the color of them, mixed tan and black. hehehe