REBECCA FRANKEL
Author, Editor, Journalist
A truly wonderful account of ‘man’s best friend’ in combat—and post-combat—missions: an inspirational, moving book that explains the extraordinary nature of the relationship between dogs and their military handlers in war.”
—General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired)
"An exceptionally interesting and surprisingly moving book."
—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post, Outlook
"What [Frankel] finds is that war dogs serve so many purposes at once that their value to the military far exceeds the line-item costs of housing, feeding and training them, several times over.."
—Bronwen Dickey, The New York Times, Book Review
"A heart-warming and heart-wrenching book ... It’s enough to make you want to grab a box of tissues — and the nearest dog."
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, Book World
Praise for WAR DOGS
This is a lovely book but it's also a surprising book. I opened it looking forward to reading a few good stories about the use of dogs in war. But midway through it, the realization hit me that this is something larger than that, and far deeper: it is a meditation on war and humans. It illuminates conflict from the unexpected angle of the allure of war, and the damage it does to both species."
—Thomas E. Ricks, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
“Full of hard-to-put-down stories about military dogs and the handlers who love them (and are often told not to). ... Frankel has done a brilliant job of taking us into another world of dogs and soldiers in war."
—Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash
"For a dog lover like myself who also reports on the US military, War Dogs is a fascinating dive into the world of the canines and their handlers who work so hard to keep American soldiers safe on the battlefield. Frankel writes beautifully and she is also a thoroughly dogged reporter so her account of our war dogs is charming and also provides a deep understanding of a little understood, but important part of our military culture."
—Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden, From 9/11 to Abbottabad
"As a former military working dog handler, I can be skeptical of stories and reports on our beloved dog teams as they can often be sensationalized or full of misinformation. Frankel not only captures the heroism and history of dog teams in great detail and accuracy, but offers unprecedented access to the training dogs and handlers go through and the everlasting relationships they forge. This book is a tremendous gift to the military working dog community and those interested in it."
—Mike Dowling, author of Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog
“Full of information about the nature, history, and training of military service canines, War Dogs sometimes reads like an adventure and sometimes reads like a novel that focuses on relationships and affection (here between a soldier and a dog). It is a very satisfying and often emotional read."
—Stanley Coren, author of The Wisdom of Dogs
