Issue 12 | November/December 2018 | $9.95
Canine Legal
Marijuana Legalization – Does K9 Need to Panic?
Walking Point The Story of a Marine and His Dog
Snapshot
K9 Duke Works the Streets of California
THE STORY OF A MARINE AND HIS DOG
Photo by Stephanie Kewish 2 4 | workingdogmagazine.com
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lways a writer at heart, RJ Nevens, Jr., was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1974. His interest in military working dogs stemmed from his love of the Doberman breed. Having Dobermans his entire adult life, RJ admires their stoic and loyal qualities. But, it wasn’t until a photograph surfaced on the internet that sparked the idea for RJ’s story. “There was a picture posted online some time ago of a Navy SEAL, Jon Tumilson, and his dog Hawkeye. Jon died protecting our country and, from his funeral, a picture began to circulate. Hawkeye was laying at the side of John’s coffin. Although Hawkeye was his family pet and not a military working dog, one thing stood out. He was always faithful. That picture just did something to me.” “The photo captures the essence of how a dog is always faithful, whether it be a household pet or on the battlefield. I later learned that a canine was present during the Osama Bin Laden raid. At that point, I began to research military working dogs and their assigned duties.” Nevens chose the World War II era for his screenplay because, “There was so much history made during that time: families still suffering from the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. involvement in WWII, and the repatriating of Guam. Many of the dog handlers from that era are passing away now. They started the war dog program and it’s only fitting to honor them as well as their amazing dogs.” It is estimated that by the time the United States got involved in World War II, the Germans had trained 200,000 military and police dogs. They also provided 25,000 trained military dogs to their ally, Japan, that were used in their war effort against China. But in the United States the possibilities of dogs of war were largely forgotten and ignored, even though the USA was one of the most populous dog countries in the world. Americans had always been great dog lovers and owners; it was estimated in 1942 that there were from 13 to 15 million dogs in the United States.
In the event of another war, America had plenty of dogs, they just weren’t trained for military purposes. Not only were they untrained for military purposes; the bulk of them had no more than an elementary canine education. Most Americans kept their dogs strictly as pets or watch dogs. Obedience training, the basis of military training, was practiced but not widely. And beyond the occasional use of bloodhounds, our police forces seldom employed dogs and never used them to the extent and with the effectiveness of European police. In Europe, dogs for police work had been used as early as 1895. European police dogs became war dogs as quickly as their masters could change uniforms. In a great many ways, and not just military dogs, the U.S. was unprepared for war when World War II came to the country on a Sunday, December 7, 1941. January 1942, not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American Kennel Association and a new group calling itself “Dogs for Defense” mobilized dog owners across the country to donate quality animals to the Army’s Quartermaster Corps. Dogs for Defense obtained its canine recruits from around the country, from rich homes and poor, from the nation’s best kennels, from the city and the country, to the national headquarters came many letters from dogs owners who wanted to enlist their pets. The animals were to be acquired by donation from patriotic Americans. They were to be trained at kennels under the supervision of Dogs for Defense and distributed for use where they were most needed. Dogs for Defense was designed to serve as a clearinghouse for coordinating the various attempts to develop interest in a sentry dog program for the United States. Funds to finance the group were obtained through member clubs of the American Kennel Club; and by donations from individual financiers. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America was formally approached to procure Dobermans for the newly formed Marine Corps War Dog Training Facility at Camp LeJeune.
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Photo by Stephanie Kewish
Two years of research, networking, and massaging the script paid off as Nevens’ labor of love made waves from Hollywood to Austin. He later adapted it into a published novel and has donated nearly all proceeds from book sales to various military working dog or police K9 charities. Susan Bahary, sculptor of the Always Faithful Monument in Guam wrote the forward for Walking Point and states “It made me cry a few times! A story like this brings back some of the treasured ideals of our country and our patriotism. It brings to mind life’s simple pleasures and the hard work of everyday people who we can all thank for our freedom and the country we enjoy today.” Mr. Nevens has now written a short film based on the award-winning feature screenplay and novel. He and his wife Chelsea Nevens operate Black 17 Productions, LLC in Houston, Texas. Black 17 has partnered with the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas with the common goal of bringing Walking Point to life and giving back to various military and K9 organizations through charitable contribution. This short film is about bringing to life the story of the Greatest Generation and the dedication and sacrifices made, not only by soldiers during WWII, but also by the many families that donated their beloved best friends to the Armed Forces.
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This WWII drama focuses on the bond between a group of donated dogs and their handlers. This is a film that doesn’t shy away from faith, family, or patriotism. In fact, the film focuses on these core values and their hope is that those values shine through for the world to see. Walking Point is a tale of love, loss, and victory depicting the heartache and horror of combat in the Pacific. For the first time in American history, canines were trained and used in battle. Walking Point centers around the heroic donated canine, Duke, portrayed by handler Sergeant Ed Soares’ K9 Duke of the Menlo Park Police Department in California, and a young marine, Private John Markle, played by L.A. actor and animal advocate Lou Wegner. Private Markle falls in love with Emily, played by the talented Texas actress Liza Wilk. Emily is a beautiful Dogs for Defense volunteer trainer. Private Markle and Duke are quickly shipped off to Guam to help liberate the island from the Japanese Empire right as their love is blossoming. His goal is to make it back to her and to bring Duke back safely to the patriotic family that donated him. A Marine is always faithful. So is man’s best friend! You can help pave the way in bringing this story to the silver screen and forever memorialize our fourlegged companions, our soldiers, and their heroic deeds and sacrifices by joining thousands of Walking Point followers and making a tax-free donation today. For more information, visit:
bit.ly/fromtheheartproductionswalkingpoint
Art credit: Jennifer Battliaga
Photography credit: Duncan Johnson
FOLLOW WALKING POINT: @walkingpointthemovie
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