Soldiers in Afghanistan have found a new way of winding down from combat with the Taliban – competing to see how far they can run from a snarling german shepherd before it drags them to the ground.
The game, Beating the Dog, has been filmed and posted on YouTube and Ministry of Defence websites. It has been devised to raise money for Help for Heroes, the charity that supports wounded troops.
“Everyone wants to have a go. We’re fully booked for the next three weeks,” said Captain Martyn Thompson, commanding officer of the military working dogs unit at Camp Bastion in Helmand province. “Around 50 people have done it, donating around £5 each. The record is around 45 metres.”
Volunteers put on heavily padded antibite suits and a crash helmet to protect against the fangs of the dogs. They begin the course a few yards in front of the dogs, which weigh 9 stone and are first worked up into a state of aggression by their handlers. The goal is to run as far as possible before the dog pulls them down.
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