2-year-old SFS members ensuring base security

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Laura R. McFarlane
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 17th Security Forces Squadron's newest members may only be 2 years old, but they pack quite a bite.

Despite their age, LLispeth and Elute, 17th SFS military working dogs, are prepared to defend the base and ensure the training mission goes on.

They started their career like all other enlisted members at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. For these K-9's, it's the technical school where they learned to detect and patrol.

"The dogs' primary mission stateside is explosives and narcotics detection, and secondary is patrol and psychological deterrence," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas G. Hubbard, 17th SFS MWD handler. "Deployments involve multiple tasking's for us; we are loaned out to Navy, Army, Marine Corps and special forces along with doing regular K-9 tasking's."

LLispeth, a Belgian Malinois, and Elute, a German Shepherd, are the two most common breeds used for MWDs.

When the handler first begins to work with their dog, it is more about playful interaction and bonding.

Within 90 days of arriving here, the dogs complete the basic certification, but the handlers are always advancing the dogs according to Hubbard.

This will be their only duty station besides deployments. Unlike their human counterparts, the dogs do not permanently change station.