Project Dogs

[kato13]

ArmySGTs post with his wakeup cycle mentions a K9 chamber.

At what levels and frequency would you see dogs in your project?

I was thinking that in addition to specialty dogs (security, IED detection, etc) that first contact teams (covert) could probably use a dog. (Memories of the Road warrior might be pushing me in this direction)

If the project had expectations of teams functioning without much project support, I can see dogs being very useful as well. In my project there is an expectation that any team may wake early so they are designed to tough it out a bit more than the canon project. This could mean more teams have dogs as standard equipment.

Dogs also have a psychologically soothing potential which I could see being helpful for teams as well.

My first thoughts for breeds are
German Shepherds
Australian Cattle Dog (Again Mad Max's dog)
Belgian Shepherd Malinois
Labrador Retriever

What are your thoughts on this?

[ArmySGT.]

Search and Rescue dogs.... Locate people or cadavers.

Certainly friendly mutts to soothe team nerves and make first contact easier.

Guard dogs to wake the team and keep watch on the camp.

I see more of the Labs, collies, and herding dogs with quite possibly a good number frozen along with Teams.

[stormlion1]

Some of the teams may have had dogs, but I don't see those teams being Recon or Mars teams. They have enough to gear to haul that adding a dog would be straining resources past the breaking point. I could see the project though having dogs set aside for teams to use at the +5 year mark to be given to newly awoken teams but they would be dead and dust at the +150 year mark.

[mmartin798]

There is a problem with keeping live dogs for assignment after wake up. The only place to keep them would be Prime Base. With wake up at the 5 year mark, you would need to train the puppies and that would put an even higher strain on the personnel at PB than a team carting around a trained and frosty pup.

[stormlion1]

Very true, OK I can see Dogs being frozen at Regional Bases, Prime, or even ones dedicated toward animal livestock but still I wouldn't see freezing ones with Mars or Recon Teams. The footprint for care and feeding would be to large for units that are designed to be on the go.

[kato13]

I agree it would be a logistical increase, but dogs have assisted nomadic humans for at least 20,000 years. There must some sort of beneficial tradeoff.