The ceremonial christening of seven puppies took place on Tuesday in imperial weather at the Military Dog Center in Kaisersteinbruch. The animals were born on April 8 and 9 at the military dog center. A total of 14 puppies came from this litter.
Lieutenant General Bruno Hofbauer, Head of the Capabilities and Policy Planning Directorate, as well as several commanders of those units that have Rottweilers as military dogs, took over the sponsorship of seven of the puppies. The ceremony was ceremoniously accompanied by the Burgenland Military Band. In addition, military dean and episcopal vicar Alexander Wessely asked for God’s blessing for the new four-legged members of the Armed Forces and referred in his speech to the fragile security situation in the world.
Major Benjamin Jäger, Commander of the Military Dog Center, was confident that the reconstruction plan would put the Austrian Armed Forces back in a position to defend Austria militarily in an emergency.
The seven youngest barking comrades were traditionally named Pietro, Pepe, Percy, Patriot, Page, Princess, Peggy, Querulant, Quentin, Quincy, Quantum, Quendolin, Queen Mum and Quality, in keeping with the P and Q litter. This prompted military dean Wessely to make the humorous remark that “troublemakers are only allowed in the army among the many-legged soldiers”.
The animals were symbolically accepted into the service of the Austrian Armed Forces with the ceremonial baptism of the puppies. They will now begin their training at the Kaisersteinbruch Military Dog Center and later begin their service at various units. The act of christening is performed by ceremonially putting on the service dog tag – on a blue ribbon for males and a pink ribbon for females – and has become a cherished tradition.
The military dog center in Kaisersteinbruch, Burgenland, is not only the central training facility for military dog handlers and their dogs, but also the only competence center for dog management in the Austrian Armed Forces. With more than 2,700 registered Rottweilers, it is the world’s largest owner of this breed.
Around 14 courses are held each year, during which an average of 100 military dog handlers are trained or receive further training. In addition to breeding, the center is also responsible for mission preparation, participation in missions and keeping records of all military dogs of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Eurofighter signalisiert Produktionssteigerung – Tranche 5 im Herbst?
One positive aspect: Around 40 percent of the military dog handlers are women – which puts the Kaisersteinbruch Military Dog Center at the forefront of the female ratio in the armed forces.
While the majority of the dogs are Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds and Labradors are also trained. According to the army, the Rottweiler is considered particularly suitable for guard and protection duty due to its character traits.
Here for further army news.
