Dog Runs
The dog on leash and cable system
was a "point" defense / alert mechanism. The dog is tethered to a
leash, the leash is then attached by a truck to the overhead wire that
represented the limit of the dog run. This wire can only be suspended
at the ends; anything intermediate would block the travel of the "
truck ". At best, a 20 meter run before the sag effect of the overhead
cable would set in. We had a few of these in the Eaglehorse sector.
The East Germans provided a dog house to allow the animal an escape
from the weather. In our sector, dog runs were seen but were not a key
part of the security system. It appears as though they were used in
areas outside the normal field of view from the towers. If a stranger
approached, the barking of the dog would alert the guards.
A dog "runway" is a narrow, fenced on both
sides, long course in which the dog is otherwise free to roam and
bark. This is more of an "area" alert mechanism because the runway can
be much longer than a wire run. In a runway, however, the dog can only
alert by barking, the dog on tether system actually allowed for the
possibility of an intercept if one tried to cross in his small area.
The "dog runways" in our sector were located deep in the security
zone, well back from the actual border. In other parts along the
dividing line in Germany, dog runways were integrated into the barrier
plan much closer to the actual border.
The border system used thousands of
trained dogs, both for sentry work with a handler or alone on runs and
run ways. The trained position of Dog Handler was highly sought after
by the Border Troops. When the border collapsed in 1990, there was
much concern over the fate of these animals. Active adoption programs
found civilian homes for the vast majority.
