This is part IV of the Danica: A Child of War Series. You may wish to read Part III or skip back to Part I first.

Would the Canadian soldiers accept her?

What if the Taliban captured her?

Would she ever see her son, Stefan, again?

Was she really heading to Afghanistan to find explosives with a dog she had never met?

What the hell was she doing?

They had to take a bus to an isolated section of the Dubai airport to board their plane. Danica Djikov glanced at the seated women and noticed she was the only one standing. The women were a hodgepodge.

Some were fully covered in black burquas and she could see their solemn eyes glancing at the other passengers discreetly.

Others were covered in burquas except for their face.

There were even women wearing western clothing except their … Read More »

This is part III of the series. You may wish to read part I or part II first.

For eight years Danica Dada Djikov and Mine Detector Dog Cindy practically lived in the mine fields of Bosnia Heregovina.

Six days a week, 12 hours a day, surrounded by landmines, Danica committed herself to clearing her country of these barbaric weapons. She would do everything in her power to ensure that no one would ever again lose family or friends to a landmine. She personally had lost too many already.

But after eight years of doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, Danica was burned out. She had a young child at home who needed her to be a mom. So she did one of the hardest things she’s ever done.

She walked away after clearing over a half … Read More »

According to the Cape Breton Press in 2010, “Of the 138 Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission, more than 120 were killed by IEDs or land mines, including one that killed five soldiers and a Canadian journalist.”

So what is a country to do when they are struggling to find ways to protect their 2,800-soldier force in Afghanistan from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)?

Remember when I asked you Are Dog Teams Hired Guns? That post was in a different context but still relevant because it is true. Dog teams can easily (relatively speaking) integrate into foreign units and effectively save lives. This happens every day in Afghanistan and I know that many handlers feel like hired guns. But I digress.

The Canadian Army went out and hired some “Paws” and some handlers. Here is what the American Company, … Read More »