Cairo, A Navy SEAL Hero Dog

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Those who have watched Zero Dark Thirty, the 2013 film, may have noticed the presence of a military dog amongst the special units who participated in the raid on a terrorist’s hideout. The film won the Oscar for best sound editing and received four other nominations best original screenplay, best actress, best edition, and shared the title for best film with Argo and Lincoln.

The dog in that movie, whose name we could not find among the cast, is neither a detail nor a pet. He plays Cairo, a Navy SEAL professional dog and one of the heroes of the Special Forces team that carried out Operation Neptune Spear along with the SEAL team 6.

Cairo is a Belgian Malinois, a breed used as a war dog since
World War II, and part of the approximately 2,700 dogs serving in the US Forces as patrols worldwide. They are working dogs that can detect bombs, jump from planes, and work in the different forces of the military, the police and other law-enforcement agencies.

These dogs are used for protection, tracking, search and rescue. Most importantly, they are able to detect homemade bombs.

Dogs are professional soldiers with the most reliable and sensitive scent detection device, their nose.

As a military dog, Cairo is trained to work side by side with his handler, jump from helicopter or planes, and work on land, air and water.

During his missions, Cairo wears an assault vest equipped with multiple gadgets, such as a collapsible video arm, two-way audio communication, and other super secret military devices.

His specialized bullet and waterproof armor, is valued between 20,000 and 30,000 US dollars and made by K9 Storm, a Canadian company that manufactures equipment for war dogs. Cairo, as well as all members of SEAL Team 6, was honored by President Obama in a private ceremony carried out in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2011.