Afghanistan’s mine and UXO (unexploded ordnance) problem is the consequence of more than 30 years of war. Between 2007 and 2012, MLI donated 28 MDDs to four local Afghan demining organizations (ATC, DAFA, OMAR, and MCPA). These MDDs searched 2,370 acres of land which was returned to the Afghan people for safe & productive use.  In 2015, MLI retired or reassigned all of the dogs because Afghanistan was able to develop its own sustainable indigenous demining capacity. MLI’s partner organization, the Mine Detection Center (MDC) in Afghanistan, established a successful breeding & training program for MDDs and because of their excellent work, coupled with the landmine clearance success of the four Afghan NGOs using MLI-donated dogs, the mine contaminated land that was particularly suitable for MDD operations was substantially reduced, resulting in a surplus of dogs.

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During 2015, MLI worked with the U.S. Department of State to repatriate 21 MDDs to the U.S. that were of retirement age, and reassign 15 additional MDDs to demining operations in other countries. MLI’s partner in Texas, Mission K9 Rescue, assisted in placing the heroic dogs in loving homes in the U.S. The 15 active MDDs were transferred to work with local demining organizations in Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were paired with local handlers, achieved certification, and resumed their lifesaving work.