Dog soldiers ranked above their human counterparts? No, it’s not the plot of a dystopian sci-fi novel about the post-apocalyptic canine uprising—it’s a cute, dog-loving custom in the US military.

Yesterday, Reddit user sibewolf shared this piece of canine trivia with the Today I Learned community—writing, “[Today I learned] that every military working dog is always one rank higher than its handler so that mistreatment of the dog is considered assault on an officer of higher rank.”

While it may not be every dog, a video shared on the US Army’s Facebook page corroborates sibewolf’s claim:

In the video—filmed in Basra, Iraq—Sgt. Adam Kusnerick explains that his dog “Staff Sergeant Mikey” is “considered a soldier.” (But before you make a joke asking if they wear dog tags, active-duty canine soldiers actually have tattoos on their left ears to identify them. So there.)

In a 2011 article from the Army blog, Linda Crippen writes, “Every military working dog is an NCO [non-commissioned officer]—in tradition at least. Some say the custom was to prevent handlers from mistreating their dogs …”

While it may seem trivial, the respect accorded from an honorary rank is an important acknowledgement that the dogs’ lives are as much at risk as the soldiers’. (The Washington Post‘s report earlier this year of a Belgian Malinois captured by Taliban offers an extremely sad example of this reality.)

The tradition of ranking dogs may have its roots in the canine heroism of one particularly impressive pooch named Stubby, who aided US soldiers in World War I.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, this first-ever dog to earn a military rank really earned it—alerting sleeping troops to a gas attack, helping medics find injured soldiers, and even discovering a German spy:

“[Stubby] … caught a German soldier mapping out the layout of the Allied trenches. The soldier called to Stubby, but he put his ears back and began to bark. As the German ran, Stubby bit him on the legs, causing the soldier to trip and fall. He continued to attack the man until the United States soldiers arrived.”

It was this capture that granted Stubby the ceremonial rank of Sergeant.

But the military isn’t the only organization employing dogs that gives them titles on par with humans.

While swearing in a canine officer may be a simple, honorary ritual, many police dogs have actually achieved impressive titles.

In 2012, Nikka the German shepherd briefly enjoyed an unprecedented status as “sole certified officer” of Vaughn, N.M. And earlier this year, another German shepherd named Jena—a K-9 patrol dog with the Escondido Police Department—was promoted to detective (but don’t worry: The human handler was promoted as well).

Perhaps one day, we might be lucky enough to see the first dog police chief, or canine attorney general, or maybe even president. Who knows? A dog can dream.