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Our four-legged friends have been helping us humans for years, whether sniffing out bombs for the police or helping the blind lead full lives. Now a new breed of military dog is going one step further - parachuting out of planes and falling 10,000ft to support troops in Afghanistan.
The dogs are fitted with a head camera, allowing special forces to see inside insurgent compounds, and are trained to attack anyone carrying a weapon.
"Dogs don't perceive height difference, so that doesn't worry them," said the dog handler.
"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."
Commandos from 14 countries, including British special forces and Royal Marines, recently took part in the Nato exercise called "Cold response."
America's Delta Force were the first to use parachuting dogs trained to breathe through oxygen masks during the jump (left).
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