Incidence of Occupational Injuries Among Military Working Dog Handlers, 2016–2023

Objective: This study examines the incidence of injuries among active component service members in Military Working Dog (MWD) handler occupations compared to three other active component occupational groups. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with a total of 2,524,092 active component service members including, 3935 MWD handlers, 2025 veterinary personnel, 113,413 military police, and 2,404,719 all other active component service members (ACSM). Incidence rate and incident rate ratios of injuries were determined. Results: MWD handlers had the second highest rates of injuries (14,194.42 injuries per 10,000 p-yrs.) with veterinary personnel having the highest rate of injuries (17,320.11 injuries per 10,000 p-yrs.). Military police (11,521.71 injuries per 10,000 p-yrs.) and other ACSM (11,708.60 injuries per 10,000 p-yrs.) had similar incidence rates. Risk for injury was highest among women and older service members. Conclusion: This study is among the first investigations into MWD handlers' occupational health outcomes. These results suggest the importance of continued MWD handler health assessment.