Product Description

Trackers is a gritty and moving story that reveals the Australian Army's little-known use of combat tracker dogs during the Vietnam War. A war veteran tells his story with vivid and compelling immediacy, blending the terror of hunting and encountering the elusive Viet Cong with the tender relationship between a naive young Australian soldier and his dog. A graphic portrayal of the timeless reality of war—the horror, the madness, the tedium, the dark humour—Trackers hurls you into a surreal world of seething jungles, random minefields, and lethal friendly fire. Amid the mayhem, the author finds vital refuge in the innocence of his larrikin labrador-kelpie cross, Caesar. Also an human interest story with enormous widespread appeal, both men and women of all ages will be touched by this special bond between man and dog.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #576478 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 212 pages

From the Inside Flap

About the Author
Peter Haran was first posted to Vietnam in 1967, aged just 19, as a dog handler with one of the Army's first Combat Tracking Teams. He returned after a year to become a war dog trainer in Sydney, and was reassigned to Vietnam in 1970 as an Infantry section commander. He is now a journalist with The Sunday Mail in Adelaide.

Customer Reviews

Great book!
I have read numerous books about war dogs. This is by far my favorite. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end. The book will make you laugh and a few pages later make you cry. Mr. Haran's accounts of his experiences in training tracker dogs for Vietnam, and doing two tours as a dog handler in the "J" (jungle), really bring home the effectiveness of man-dog teams and illustrate the deep bonds that develop between the two forged under fire. I can't say enough good things about this book. If you are a dog lover, or if you're interested in war dogs at all, you should read this book. You won't be disappointed.

well written book of the australian tracker dog teams
wonderfully written book of the australian involvement of tracker dog teams in vietnam...thousands of allied lives were saved through the relationship built by the tracker dogs and handlers, together with the scout, sentry, mine, tunnel, booby trap, and other military working dog teams...over 4,000 dogs and in excess of 10,000 handlers kept our troops safe....the lives of our allied military forces depended on the trust built between handler and dog....

Outstanding
I love books written by people who have been in the working dog field with dogs such as Service Dogs of the Police,Military working roles. I personally find books written on the obedience trailling and Schuzhund competitions basically repetitive and in the main, boring.

Service work and associated training to me, is the real world of dog training, I enjoy competition and encourage people to compete.But I get tired of the never ending waffle of the best way to train involving food, toys, clickers, working in drives etc.

This book is excellent taking one into the real world of extreme dangers of the Vietnam war. Well written, reviting, and refreshing after the waffle of other dog books.Well done Peter. ...