Parachutes for the 'dogs of war'

The British Army is preparing to parachute dogs into some of the most dangerous war zones in the world.

An undisclosed number of German Shepherds are being trained to jump out of airplanes at 25,000 feet.

They will be strapped to members of the SAS, fitted with oxygen masks and will be sent to countries like Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defence has not revealed what tasks they will perform but it is thought they may be used to sniff out explosives.

They may also prove useful for searching confined spaces.

BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said dogs were first parachuted into combat zones as early as World War II, but that these dogs will be a breed apart.

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