Actors visit Military Working Dogs > U.S. Department of Defense > Story

Actors do crazy things for their job, but it's not every day that they decide to put on a padded dog bite sleeve and let themselves be attacked by a military dog ​​with 300 pounds of bite force.

Some actors recently saw drug-sniffing dogs in action with the 2nd Military Dog Command at Fort Meade, Maryland. They learned all about their extensive training and discipline for missions such as detecting explosive devices when the dogs are deployed in Afghanistan. Axa, a 7-year-old Belgian Tervuren, ran through the command's obstacle course and, on command, repeatedly attacked anyone who stepped in the dog's bite sleeve and jacket.

The visitors were impressed.

“I'll be happy if we can get our dogs to sit down,” joked actor Reed Birney, who played the vice president in “House of Cards.”

“I knew that dogs were used overseas to sniff out bombs and things like that, but I'd never seen it up close,” Birney said. “Seeing the guys with their dogs, the dedication, the care and the training, is fascinating.”

Birney and actors Annie Golden and Noah Bean visited the base as part of Arts in the Armed Forces, a nonprofit organization founded by Star Wars actor Adam Driver – himself a Marine Corps veteran – to bridge the gap between the military and civilians. During Arts in the Armed Forces field trips, which include overseas bases, actors get a glimpse of military life and then perform for soldiers, veterans, military support personnel and their families.

Golden, who plays Norma Romano on “Orange Is the New Black,” said her favorite part of traveling is the question-and-answer sessions with military members after her performances. Her father served in World War II and she has a nephew who served in the Marine Corps, so she understands some of the struggles military members and their families go through.

''[My nephew] went to the Philippines for recovery, rescue and cleanup work after the earthquakes [in 2013]. There were four Marines who went down in a helicopter and were missing for a weekend, and we were devastated. So to me, the sacrifice is very real,” Golden said.

The group was incredibly grateful to get such an up-close look at a part of American life that they don't often get to see.

“Having the opportunity to actually be around active duty soldiers and learn more about what they do, how they do it and how competent and incredible they are, I think is rewarding as a citizen … and it's important to have human contact with the people who are responsible for our safety,” Bean said.

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(This article was originally published on April 18, 2019.)