By now, SEAL Team Six has been exploited in pretty much every way possible this election season. But one member of Team Six has so far remained unscathed: Cairo the dog. Could Cairo be the country's Great Unifier?
One year ago this day, Cairo joined the team of SEALs on the dangerous mission to eradicate America's greatest enemy. Let's all just think about how great this dog is and rediscover some bipartisan unity during this acrimonious election cycle.
For instance:
His breed. Cairo is a Belgian Malinois, which Global Animal describes as a "highly intelligent and fearless breed increasingly used by the military."
His armor. Last year, The Daily reported that Cairo wore special dog armor that "can withstand clouds of hot shrapnel."
His teeth. It was reported that Cairo has titanium teeth that when bit feel "like being stabbed four times at once with a bone crusher." That reporting turned out to be a tad hyperbolic, according to Danger Room's Spencer Ackerman, because if Cairo does have titanium teeth, it means there's a problem. "The only reason to have titanium teeth? Medical reasons ... like 'if a dog breaks a tooth … it’s the same as a crown for a human.'" Still the fact that Cairo has titanium teeth and still manages to be a super war dog is pretty impressive, no?
His mission. According to Nicholas Schmidle's account in The New Yorker, Cairo kept busy during the raid:
As it turned out, after one of the helicopters crashed outside the compound’s walls. Cairo, a translator named Ahmed, and four SEALs were responsible for closing off the perimeter of the house while six other SEALs—the contingent that was supposed to have dropped onto the roof—moved inside. For the team patrolling the perimeter, the first fifteen minutes passed without incident. Neighbors undoubtedly heard the low-flying helicopters, the sound of one crashing, and the sporadic explosions and gunfire that ensued, but nobody came outside.
Additionally, Time's NewsFeed reported that Cairo "went along to sniff out hidden explosives or, if necessary, find a secret room of bin Laden’s."
His accolades. Time magazine awarded Cairo its prestigious Animal of the Year award in 2011. "This heroic dog deserves an extra treat, or twelve. Additionally, after President Obama learned that Cairo joined the raid, the president said “I want to meet that dog"—which he ended up doing.
So, while Cairo's human colleagues find themselves in the middle of symbolic battle, Cairo remains above the fray. We could learn a thing or two from that dog.
Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments
or send an email to the author at
jhudson at theatlantic dot com.
You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
John Hudson
User Comments
Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register