Schooled for months, paired with handlers with whom they live around the clock, the first two army dogs in Iraq trailed combat troops across the desert from Kuwait.

Now, this powerful and handsome German shepherd duo are among an increasing number of war dogs — a coalition of the barking — in Iraq securing bases, searching buildings, sniffing for explosives and guarding prisoners.

“There are never enough dogs for the jobs they have to do,” says Maj. Rob Dillon, a military police officer.

At Tallil Air Base, which is quickly turning into one of the biggest U.S. military installations in Iraq, eight canines and handlers patrol the perimeter to stop any infiltrators. Inside, Ranny and Brit pace through a compound where prisoners of war give them a wide berth.

“It’s a psychological deterrent. Rather than having to shoot them this is a less lethal option if they try to escape,” says Ranny’s handler, Staff Sgt. John Logie. “And once the dogs come in, the prisoners tend to behave a bit better.”

Logie, of Salt Lake City, and Germany-born Ranny, along with Brit and Sgt. Michael McDonald, live and sleep together in a small, bare cement room caked with desert sand blown in through a paneless window. The foursome works mainly at night and in the cooler evening and morning hours unless an emergency arises.

“They’re the most loyal partners,” says Logie, stroking Ranny. “Any time he feels I may be in danger he’s automatically there.”

“It’s just you and him. I love him to death,” adds McDonald, who’s been with Brit for 2½ years. McDonald, of Mesquite, Texas, sadly visualizes the day when he’ll leave the army, and Brit, after the Iraq deployment. “It’s hard for us as well as for the dog.”

Nearby, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mark Evans shows off his eight German and Dutch shepherds who live in a neat compound domed by camouflaged netting. It includes stacks of doggie food and medicine and an air conditioned tent — a luxury not even generals here enjoy.

“Sometimes the dogs get treated better than soldiers,” says Evans, the kennel master, from Bentonville, Ark.

The dogs, still in their winter coats of thick hair, arrived at Tallil suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and heat exhaustion following a grueling 12-hour overland trek from Kuwait. And there is more stress ahead.

Temperatures here may hit 140 degrees in coming months. There are also scorpions, poisonous snakes, spiders and centipedes as well as stray dogs that roam the base and may carry diseases.

The shepherds from the Air Force’s 822nd Security Forces Squadron work 12-hour shifts and get every other day off. Despite thermal and other sophisticated detection devices in the military’s arsenal, Evans says nothing can replace the canine nose — some 500 times more sensitive than a human’s. The dogs’ sharp sense of sight and hearing are also used.

These skills are honed at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, home of the Department of Defense Military Working Dog School. The animals undergo four months of basic schooling and up to six months of on-the-job training before a dog-master team are certified in patrolling, explosives or narcotics.

The military has used dogs during every major conflict, as trackers, scouts, sentries, messengers, attackers, mine detectors and rescuers.

Their service over the years is not being overlooked. The Vietnam Dog Handlers Association has proposed a National War Dog Memorial for Washington. About 4,000 war dogs served U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War, according to the group.

Back in the states, Ranny was a narcotics specialist who en route to Iraq sniffed out a package stuffed with five pounds of heroin at a U.S. military base in Kuwait. He can also detect marijuana, cocaine, hash, methamphetamines and Ecstasy.

Logie says Ranny’s talents in drug detection may come into good use again.

“He’s going back with me,” Logie says as he brushes clots of hair and desert sand from Ranny’s sleek back. “We’re partners, hey, buddy?”