JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some of America’s most elite dogs are trained and housed at Naval Station Mayport.
The kennel was selected as No. 1 out of 17 in the southeast region.
A team of highly-skilled, highly-trained military members are four-legged crime fighters.
“Our main mission is physiological deterrence,” said Joshua Lopez, Master at Arms 1st Class kennel master. “We go there and search an area, we ensure there are no explosives or items there.”
It’s an intense discipline. The dogs are trained daily, and learn more than to attack.
“At a moment’s notice, you can go and assist the President of The United States,” Lopez said.
The dogs have sniffed for bombs during presidential visits and for foreign heads of state.
The canines from Naval Station Mayport in 2015 supported 11 Secret Service missions involving the president, vice president and secretary of state. During the Jacksonville Beach Airshow, the canines swept more than 36,000 cars for explosives in three days.
The military working dog teams collectively conducted 476 random anti-terrorism searches.
The canines are local heroes in harnesses, standing by and ready to serve.
The dogs at the base came from Lackland Airforce Base in Texas, and the cost to train and house them is $30,000 each.
Cox Media Group
