Portable Working Dog Protective Shelter

Military working dogs (MWDs) have been an integral part of the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War. Since Sept 11, 2001, the number of animals trained/year has more than doubled. MWDs are frequently deployed into environments that can be hazardous, and they are highly susceptible to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards. Protecting military working dogs from exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials is especially challenging because protective equipment such as inhalation masks and suits essentially prevent the canine from performing its key functions (detecting, smelling, warning, and biting). A portable protective canine shelter is needed to house a MWD in a contaminated environment, provide clean filtered air to the dog, and protect handlers and vehicles when a MWD has encountered toxic compounds to prevent its spread. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) is developing a portable working dog chemical, biological protective shelter that is light-weight, portable, intuitive, quick to set up, and will protect the working dog for many hours while also protecting the handler or vehicle should the canine have become contaminated with a toxic chemical. During this Phase II effort, TDA and our partners will take the fully functional, full-size Phase I prototype canine shelter and further optimize, harden, and demonstrate its use as a MWD CBRN protective shelter. This working dog protective shelter is assembled using modern protection materials with proven performance, providing the MWD with military grade protection against toxic/agent chemicals, vapors, aerosols, biological and radiological particles