In 2011, “Cara” strapped on a K9 Storm Vest tactical body armor and an oxygen mask. She stepped onto a plane, and a short time later, stepped off it and into history by performing the highest man-dog parachute deployment from over 30,100 feet up – the altitude at which transoceanic passenger jets fly.

She was in good hands. Her handler, U.S. Military Handler Mike Forsythe, a former US Navy SEAL turned canine parachute instructor for military and search & rescue units around the world, founded the Warrior Dog Foundation, and wrote a book about K9 Warriors.  

Dogs usually jump in tandem with their trainers, but when properly outfitted with flotation vests, they can make short jumps into water on their own. The vast majority of U.S. military working dogs in recent times are German and Dutch shepherds, but others, like Cara, are Belgian Malinois.

Photo from K9 Storm Inc./Handout/Reuters