Australian Vietnam War Tracker Dogs

I just had to do a video of Australian Vietnam War tracker dogs and their Australian soldier handlers.

The black Labradors were trained from the age of about 10 months. Upon their arrival in Vietnam, two dogs were assigned to each of the Australian battalions. The dogs, along with their handlers, two visual trackers, a machine-gunner, and a signaller, made up a tracker team.

In the video you will see the former Army tracker dog, 'Sergeant' Tiber, in his new home at the Australian Embassy in Saigon, where he lived after his retirement. His new owners were Mr Gordon Selleck of Traralgon, Victoria, and Mrs Roslyn Selleck, formerly of Kerang, Victoria. On Tiber's collar are his Vietnam campaign ribbons.

I have seen many thousands of photographs over the years but have missed this one until I did this video. In the video you will see Army tracker dog Justin, in Saigon, receiving an affectionate hug from young Helen Porter. Mr and Mrs David Porter and Helen of England, volunteered to take ownership of Justin, the black labrador tracker, on his retirement after more than two years service with the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) based at Nui Dat.

In the video you will see a portrait (drawing) of Caesar, a tracking dog with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), a support company to the first Australian task force. He served in Vietnam from June 1967 until April 1970, when he was given to the British Air Attache in Saigon. Caesar’s first handler was Private (later Corporal) Peter Haran, from South Australia. Caesar was a black labrador/kelpie cross. The last unit Caesar served with was 7RAR. Sadly, Peter Haran passed away recently.

I have read Caesar, was bought from a Sydney dog refuge for $2 by the Australian Army in 1966.

The Australian Vietnam War tracker dogs video remembers the incredible Australian war dogs.