Dogs of war on duty

Cameras on their backs

The Department of National Defence is preparing to buy 12 canine-mounted vests and camera systems for use in training and operations, according to a tender posted on the government’s procurement website.

“DND has a requirement for a Canine Mounted Integrated Vest and Camera System for use in training and operations. The system includes custom-fitted vests to carry the camera system, and remote receivers held by the handlers to receive and display the video feed from the camera system,” the tender says.

Each canine vest and camera system must include a wireless camera and transmitter that are carried on the doggie vest, as well as two wireless hand-held receivers, rechargeable batteries and charger.

The cameras and receivers must be waterproof to one metre for a minimum of one hour, be able to operate between temperatures of -21 and +49 C — and in rain, sleet, hail, snow, sand and wind. Also, they must be able to handle almost any terrain, including “jungle, mountain, forest and desert,” says the tender.

The camera must fit on the pooch’s back, with a maximum length of 25 centimetres and width of 10 centimetres, and include infrared illumination “for low-light visibility that does not produce a red glow and is not visible to the bare human eye.”

The camera also must automatically switch from day to night operation, and pivot perpendicular, forward to backward a minimum of 180 degrees.

A camera-mounted tracking dog played a prominent role in the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

A Belgian Malinois dog named Cairo, wearing a night-vision camera, was responsible for helping secure the perimeter, sniff out possible bombs and find any hiding enemy combatants if necessary.