New Hoodie Will Protect the Hearing of Military Dogs

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

A high-tech hoodie is currently being developed by the United States Army and a biodefense device company in order to help protect the hearing of military canines from loud noises. The Canine Auditory Protection System is made of lightweight acoustic absorption material and resembles a tight hoodie. The system sits over the dog’s ears in order to protect them.

Military dogs, along with the human handlers, are often exposed to loud noises such as aircraft, gunfire and explosions. Such loud noises are capable of permanently damaging the hearing of an unprotected ear, whether it be human or dog. Tests of the Canine Auditory Protection Systems help show that the system significantly helps reduce short term hearing loss for military dogs.

Even short helicopter rides are capable of temporarily decreasing a canine’s hearing abilities. This could lead to impaired performance during missions.

The system is slightly thicker than an inch and is made of lightweight acoustic absorption materials that block sound. The system is intended to sit on the dog’s head like a hoodie and seal the ears from any unwanted noise.

Stripes.com mentions that the system is compatible with goggles to allow dogs to work in tight spaces.

Although the technology is currently in development, it is still unclear when the system will be made available to military dog handlers.

Hearing loss is the leading military related disability for American military veterans and it is widely considered that military dogs are subjected to similar exposure of hearing damage. Army officials mention that protecting a dog’s hearing effectively increases its working life.

Military dogs deal with a wide range of military operations, especially those involving loud noise. Two months ago a military dog helped lead to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria. The dog has suffered mild injuries after chasing al-Baghdadi into a dead end tunnel, where al-Baghdadi blew himself up.