By now, everyone knows how popular the Belgian Malinois is with law enforcement and the military. Perhaps the best known such dog is “Cairo,” arguably the most famous member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs DevGru team – and the dog who helped capture Bin Laden in 2011. In fact, some say Cairo’s feet were the four feet on the ground!

Like their human counterparts, SEAL dogs are highly trained, highly skilled special ops “experts” able to work with their handler by Sea, Air and Land (thus the acronym: SEAL).  They are even trained parachutists, jumping either in tandem with their handlers or solo if the jump is into water because it’s safer for both dog and person. Why so some in the know insist that Malinois are better skydivers? Because Malinois are lighter than a German Shepherd Dog or Labrador Retriever, so it’s easier for military parachutists to do tandem jumps with their dogs strapped to them. As an aside, did you know that attached to the Kevlar jacket of a Navy SEAL dog in action is a camera and an antenna? These dogs are so valuable that the military spends about $50,000 in the training and deployment of each Special Forces dog.

For all that, the first time the AKC ever mentioned the breed was in the January 1908 issue of the GAZETTE. It was a small notice that five Belgian Sheepdogs had been added to the New York City police force. The irony.  Today, the Belgian Malinois is one of the top breeds chosen by police departments and the military.