About this item

Before there was Max, there was Mike. A true story much like the touching movie, Navy SEAL Dogs explores the incomparable relationship between trainer and military dog. Trident K9 Warriors gave readers an inside look at the SEAL teams' elite K9 warriors-who they are, how they are trained, and the extreme missions they undertake to save lives. From detecting explosives to eliminating the bad guys, these powerful dogs are also some of the smartest and highest skilled working animals on the planet. Mike Ritland's job is to train them.This special edition re-telling presents the dramatic tale of how Ritland discovered his passion and grew up to become the trainer of the nation's most elite military working dogs. Ritland was a smaller-than-average kid who was often picked-on at school-which led him to spend more time with dogs at a young age.



About the Author

Mike Ritland

Mike Ritland joined the Navy at age 17 in 1996, after being inspired by his grandfathers - both of whom had served in World War II. He graduated with BUD/S class 215 and became a member of SEAL Team 3.

In April 2003, Ritland's 16-member SEAL Team was deployed to Iraq along with the First Marine Division, and they were tasked with taking the city of Tikrit. During one clearing operation, he observed a group of Marines approaching a cave-like structure in a rural area outside the city. After searching thousands of buildings and similar structures without issue, they were tempted to assume that all was clear, but the platoon was alerted to danger by an explosive-detector dog. Ritland learned later that a grenade booby trap had been set in the doorway and would certainly have killed the first marines to enter. He knew instantly that he wanted to work with dogs such as the one he'd seen, and learn to harness their remarkable abilities to defeat the tools of modern warfare.

After 12 years of active duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL, Ritland became a BUD/S instructor and started his own company, Trikos International, to train dogs for the SEAL teams. Today he continues to supply working and protection dogs to a host of clients, including to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs, Border Patrol, TSA and the Department of Defense. He has trained hundreds of working dogs, and has over 15 years of experience in importing, breeding, raising, and training multiple breeds of working dogs. He also started the Warrior Dog Foundation to help retired Special Operations dogs live long and happy lives after their service. Proceeds from Mike Ritland's book Trident K9 Warriors: My Tale from the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines will be donated to the Warrior Dog Foundation.



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