Dogs (World War Z)

This page lists the use of "Canis lupus familiaris", or the common household dog, in the event of a zombie epidemic, specifically the role that man's best friend played during World War Z. Dogs and their handlers in the U.S. Army were known as the K-9 Corp.

A German Shepherd

Dogs and the Undead

All animals besides humans can instinctively detect traces of the Solanum virus, and nearly all have the same reaction to it: terror. Almost all living creatures will flee in terror from a zombie, and for the most part, this applies to dogs as well. Some dogs with a high level of devotion to their masters, have been known to bite zombies when cornered. This contraction of Solanum is fatal to the dog, and only a momentary distraction to the zombie. One can expect the toxin to render the dog dead in hours, depending on the size and health of the dog. Thus it is important to train dogs being used against zombies never to bite them. Instead, they're trained to circle around and pounce on the zombie's back or rear of the knees, pushing the zombie to the ground.

Birth and Selection

Right from birth, potential K9 units are exposed to minute amounts of zombie scent particles, to acclimate them to the smell. When the pups are able to see and hear, they’re exposed to the live specimen, placed in a special cage with a chain-link fence separating them from a live zombie, and handlers would observe their reactions. The majority of pups would begin whining and crying out uncontrollably, and were listed as Betas, meaning unsuitable for zombie training. A few of the puppies however, would lock eyes with the ghoul, arch its back in a defensive posture, and let out a low warning growl. These were listed as Alphas, but only a fraction of these make it through training and enter service. The Alpha pups are then evaluated by personality and permanently assigned to new handlers, who go through every step of training with their new partners.

Basic Training

Essentially the same obedience training given to any household dog, done specifically by the sniffer K9 handlers so as to assert who will be leading in the partnership.

Army Training

The same training given to dogs in military and law enforcement, it includes drills, obstacle courses, and repeated command instructions, so that both the K and it’s handler will know and obey and respond to commands and orders. This training makes a fun-loving pet into a disciplined solider.

Z Training

The most important aspect of the K Corps training is how the Ks and their handlers respond to the walking dead. The dogs are trained so that they never bark unless commanded by their handler; never bite either a live or dead zombie, to keep moving when near a G, and to alert any live humans to the presence of a zombie. In combating the living dead, the animals are taught to always keep moving, use the terrain, even to trip or push over a G so as to buy time for it’s handler or other personnel to dispatch it. Most K’s instruction in Z warfare was to operate on their own in infested areas without their handlers physically present, and to respond to verbal commands over the radio. For this part of training, Ks were sent to a live hazard training course that became affectionately known as Hound Town.

Alarm Dog

The most basic use of dogs in zombie warfare is screening with Alarm dogs. These dogs have no specific training, just ordinary dogs placed in rows of separate cages or on strong tethers, for their safety and the safety of others. Since a dog’s sense of smell allows it to detect minute amounts of the Solanum retrovirus, which makes them useful tools in screening for those infected with the virus when more advanced procedures are either unavailable or too time consuming. Israel was the first nation to start using dogs in this manner. In screening refugees, they were made to pass by the dog cages one by one. If the animals remained calm or neutral, the refugee was “clean” and allowed to pass. If the dogs went freak out at a passing individual however, then that individual was likely infected with Solanum and carted off for “disposal”. The animals also make for decent guard dogs for bases, alerting everyone present of an approaching zombie, even from miles away. Unfortunately, without the proper training, the dog will continue to bark and howl in uncontrollable terror, attracting any ghouls in earshot.

Sniffer K9

The most frequent role of the K-9 corp is acting as sniffer dogs. Both dogs and their handlers travel with infantry groups, acting as early-warning detection systems and tracking units. When a sniffer dog smells or hears a zombie or other threat, it will immediately stop, turn toward the likely source of the target, stiffen and give a low growl. The experienced handler will know immediately from the amount of tension in their partner and the intensity of the growl just how close the zombie(s) are, an idea as to how many there are, and what direction, taking into account wind direction and terrain. The handler can even tell whether the target in question is a zombie or some different threat. The K9’s are trained to growl, not to bark, to not alert others and their handlers are armed with silenced pistols. The K9’s will then silently lead their handlers and the infantry right to the target. This turned out to be a life-saver for many grateful troops, who would have walked blindly into the hands of an unseen ghoul hidden behind a rock or in a house or even crawling in the high grass, unable to walk. Sniffer K9’s were usually smaller breeds, making them harder for a ghoul to catch and also so they could be used as remote recon units, their small size allowing them to go into tighter spaces. These dogs were given special remote communication packs, allowing the handlers to give commands to the animal from the base via radio (a lot of handlers didn’t like this, sending their dogs into a danger zone while they had to stay behind), and sending visual and audio information back to the command base.

Escort K9

Usually larger and stronger breeds of dogs, escort K’s have much of the same training as sniffer dogs. However, the main reason these dogs are brought along is for the purpose of protecting the sniffer dogs like bodyguards. During the Road to New York the U.S. Army faced more adversaries than just the undead, and sometimes far more dangerous. Quislings, wild animals who had managed to survive the undead, feral humans, LMOEs, even rebels. But the greatest threat to sniffer K9’s was undoubtedly (and ironically) feral dogs, former house pets that had either been abandoned or had escaped the zombie hoards, degenerating into vicious, territorial, and often starving wild packs. This was the reason for escort K9’s, as the breeds the comprised the sniffer were often too small to fend off the larger feral dogs. Breeds comprising the escort Ks included hunting breeds, working breeds like sheepdogs and wolfhounds, and even breeds that had been especially popular in illegal dog fighting matches.

Distraction K9

The Pied Piper of the K-9 Corps, Distraction K9s are used in preparation stages of combat or rescue operations. Guided by their handler’s commands over the radio, the Distraction K will run into the infested target area, bark to get the attention of as many Gs as possible, possibly inducing a chain swarm, and constantly move to keep the zombies following them. This is useful for drawing the majority of a hoard away from an area, either for a rescue or to buy time for an army to set up fortified position, or to draw the swarm straight towards the front line. Distraction K9's are selected from breeds that are bred for speed, agility and endurance, such as greyhounds, sled dogs like huskies, and herding dogs like border collies.

Hound Town

Considered the final step in Z training for K9 units, This "live hazard obstacle course" was really a whole city that had been walled off, still infested with live zombies. K9s, either accompanied by their handlers or guided via radio, had to complete various objectives within the city in order to clear the course, all while avoiding being caught by the undead.

Mercy Charges

A program that handlers tried to implement out of concern for their partners. It was basically a small radio activated explosive charge designed to spare the K9 should it become injured in the field and unable to escape approaching G's with no hope of rescue. The charge was intended to spare the dog the agony of being ripped apart and eaten alive. K Corps handlers were not so much incensed for being unable to get approval for these, but because the military almost considered the far more traumatic Fragmutts program.

Fragmutts

An elaboration on the mercy charges idea, Fragmutts was designed to turn K9's into potential kamikaze suicide bombers by attaching several pounds of plastic explosives, enough to at least take out several G's with it. This idea harkens back to WWII, where the Soviet Union started equiping dogs with stick-trigger explosives and training them to run under german tanks. Anger from many K9 handlers combined with the Eckhart incident derailed the Fragmutts program from being implemented.

The Eckhart Incident

An army incident during the Road to New York, involving female K Handler Sgt. Eckhart. Eckhart's partner had been out during reconnaissance, and while fleeing from several zombies had fallen into a ditch and become incapacitated, with several ghouls in hot pursuit. Sgt. Eckhart immediately grabbed her SIR and attempted to retrieve her partner, but her captain stopped her, believing that saving the dog was hopeless. Sgt. Eckhart shot and killed her captain before being detained by the MP's; her dog did not survive.

The sergeant was publicly hanged as an example, but the incident sparked a massive reform of the K program. The "Fragmutts" program was immediately shelved; the K9's were now seen as important as their handlers, and handlers were now allowed to go after their K partners no matter how hopeless the situation. Events have shown that K9's and Handlers who had lost their partners had extremely high depression and suicide rates, and it was deemed better to lose both members of the team then to jeopardize morale with the prospect of more suicides.

Retirement Kennels

Essentially large farms sponsered by government funding, the kennels are where retired veteren K9 units are usually sent to live out their days in peace and comfort as reward for their invaluable services. Not all were sent to kennels, as a number of discharged handlers chose to adopt their former partners. By the time of Max Brooks's interview, very few kennels were still in service, due to the rather short life span that dogs have compared to humans.