Enlisted
A Military Working Dog Handler
Cpl. Christopher Vogt works as a canine handler and trains his dog, Kepie, to help protect the president of the United States.
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Cpl. Christopher Vogt: My name is Cpl. Vogt. I'm in HMX-1. This here is Kepie.
Once you pick up a military working dog, you first build rapport with them. That's the first thing you do. You go out there. You'll walk with them. You'll play with them. There's no commands at all. There's no discipline. There's nothing. That dog needs to learn you. He needs to trust everything you say. So he needs to be able to know your voice, be able to know what you do, how you're going to react.
I assist Marines with PT every day. But they're just as much Marines as we are, so they have PT every day, just like us. If we go on a run, they go on a run with us. To keep their obedience up, we work on obedience every day, or on the OB course we do scenario training. You never know what scenario you're going to be in. So we do all different kinds.
HMX-1 is a Marine helicopter squadron. We are in direct support of the president of the United States. We protect those helicopters and all assets that are involved within the movement of the president. We like to expand our horizon when we train because the more training that you get, the better.
But working with a dog is just, there's nothing else like it. The love they have for you and how they protect you in any case, it's unbelievable.
A Military Working Dog Handler
After Recruit Training and Marine Combat Training, Christopher began training for the military police (MP). He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school. At the end of MOS school, Christopher went before a board and was selected to be a military working dog handler for HMX-1, Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron.
"In HMX-1, Marine Helicopter Squadron, we are in direct support of the president of the United States. We protect the helicopters and all assets that are involved with the movement of the president. There are only six dogs in the squadron."
Christopher works with an explosive detector dog named Kepie. Kepie is a longhaired German shepherd, and he is six years old. Like all other military working dogs, Kepie began training at Lackland Air Force Base, and then he was sent to HMX-1. At HMX-1, Christopher began to build a close relationship with Kepie.
Building Trust
"Once you pick up a military working dog, you first build rapport. You go out there; you walk with them; you play with them. That dog needs to learn you. He needs to trust everything you say, so he needs to be able to know your voice and be able to know what you do and how you're going to react."
Every day, Christopher trains Kepie in obedience and in patrol work. Kepie must know how to interact with civilians who are friendly toward him and those who may be engaging in suspicious behavior. Kepie and his fellow military working dogs also go through physical training (PT), just like their handlers.
"The dogs are just as much Marines as we are, so they PT every day just like us. If we go on a run, they go on a run with us."
Christopher and Kepie travel often as part of their mission to help protect the president. Before the president arrives at a location, Christopher and Kepie patrol the area to make sure that there are no explosives nearby.
As for the future, Christopher expects to be deployed, and he is applying to become a canine handler for a Marine Forces Special Operations Command unit. He is attending college and he hopes to stay in the law enforcement field, either in or out of the Marine Corps. Christopher is also planning to adopt Kepie once Kepie retires.
""Working with a dog ... there's nothing else like it. The love they have for you and how they'll protect you in any case - it's unbelievable.""