A soldier's best friend

the long version

"Military working dogs are silently winning the war against the world's deadliest insurgents; day after day saving soldiers' lives in the most dangerous country on the planet. Many have been rescue animals, neglected or mistreated by their owners before being given a new lease of life on the front line. From the featureless plains of Helmand and Kandahar to military bases in Germany, Army dog teams work day and night to keep us safe but, until recently, their courage and sacrifice has not been fully understood or appreciated. In A Soldier's Best Friend, award-winning journalist Stephen Paul Stewart employs in-depth interviews together with years of research and frontline reportage to tell their gripping and emotional stories for the first time, an unprecedented account of the dogs' close relationships with their handlers, their extraordinary heroism and action-packed lives."--Jacket page ii.