Just popping out with the dog (from 10,000ft): Meet the special forces hound that likes to parachute



This has to be the ultimate in walkies... a four-legged recruit to the special forces joining troops on a parachute jump into one of Europe's biggest military training exercises in Norway.

The explosives sniffing dog, which is a member of Austria's version of the SAS, took part in Operation Cold Response along with British special forces and Royal Marines assault teams.

Parachute dog

Are you barking? In freefall, the sniffer dog calmly takes in the view as they both hurtle towards the ground on their assignment

Ruff landing: This four-legged recruit and handler





Securely strapped to his handler and with a muzzle to stop him damaging his mouth on landing, he plunged 10,000ft from a transporter plane over Narvik.

'It's something he does a lot and he's very comfortable with. He has a much cooler head than most recruits,' said one special operations trooper.

Far from panicking at the experience of hurling themselves out of a plane from such a great height, the Austrians' Belgian Shepherd dogs appear to be perfectly calm both before and during the jump.

One handler explained: 'They don't perceive height difference the same way humans do, so that doesn't worry them.

'They're more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we're on the way down, that doesn't matter and they just enjoy the view.

'It’s something he does a lot. He has a much cooler head than most recruits.'



He was also eager to point out that the dogs, like their human colleagues, are regarded as valued team members and aren't put into situations that could prove unnecessarily dangerous.