No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the SEAL Teams to the Bin Laden Raid

by Will Chesney, Joe Layden Narrated by Will Chesney

Overview

No Ordinary Dog is the powerful true story of a SEAL Team Operator and military dog handler, and the dog that saved his life.

This program is read by the author.

Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden's compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. This is Cairo's story, and that of his handler, Will Chesney, a SEAL Team Operator whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo's.

Starting in 2008, when Will was introduced to the DEVGRU canine program, he and Cairo worked side by side, depending on each other for survival on hundreds of critical operations in the war on terrorism. But their bond transcended their service. Then, in 2011, the call came: Pick up your dog and get back to Virginia. Now.

What followed were several weeks of training for a secret mission. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary operation. Cairo was among the first members of the U.S. military on the ground in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the successful elimination of bin Laden.

As Cairo settled into a role as a reliable "spare dog," Will went back to his job as a DEVGRU operator, until a grenade blast in 2013 left him with a brain injury and PTSD. Unable to participate in further missions, he suffered from crippling migraines, chronic pain, memory issues, and depression. Modern medicine provided only modest relief. Instead, it was up to Cairo to save Will's life once more—and then up to Will to be there when Cairo needed him the most.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

02/17/2020

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Chesney offers an inside look at life in the Special Forces and pays tribute to his canine partner Cairo in this heartfelt debut. Chesney details the intense mental and physical stresses of SEAL training, noting that only 20% of candidates graduate, and sketches his early deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Impressed by two military working dogs embedded with his unit in Afghanistan, Chesney, a self-described “dog guy,” decided to become a canine handler. At the end of a two-week “indoctrination period,” he was assigned Cairo, a Belgian Malinois with a hard work ethic and easygoing demeanor. He documents their growing bond over the course of several deployments, highlighting a mission in which Cairo was shot twice while flushing out a pair of insurgents and their participation in the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. After Chesney’s medical retirement (due to a brain injury), he fought bureaucratic red tape to bring Cairo home with him. Touching on the power of the human-animal bond, the effects of PTSD, and the legacy of the “war on terror,” this earnest account delivers many memorable moments. Dog lovers and fans of military history will be enthralled. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

No Ordinary Dog is not what you are expecting; this is not a normal war memoir. Yes Will was a Navy SEAL who served at the highest level. Yes, he was there when we killed Osama bin Laden. But this is a story about someone else who was there: Cairo. Cairo was the only dog chosen to be with us that night in Abbottabad, Pakistan, but that is not the only time we served with him. I personally fought next to Cairo in many different theaters of war but also trained with him around the globe. The Operators had meals with him and watched movies with him. We all did. Military Working Dogs have been on the frontlines since the wars began and have saved countless lives. This is Cairo’s story.” —Robert J. O’Neill, former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling Author of The Operator

"Former U.S. Navy SEAL Chesney offers an inside look at life in the Special Forces and pays tribute to his canine partner Cairo in this heartfelt debut....Dog lovers and fans of military history will be enthralled." —Publishers Weekly

“An outstanding book that captured me through to the end. Read this not just for the dog, or for the SEAL Team stories, but for its truth about the most precious of bonds: that between a man and his best friend.” —Mike Thornton, Retired Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor Recipient

"No Ordinary Dog demonstrates the healing and redemptive nature of the human-canine bond...Will Chesney and co-writer Joe Layden have done a public service by sharing this story. It’s a fast-paced opportunity to understand more about today’s military and the role of K9s in keeping our service members safe. It’s a heart-felt tribute to the human-canine bond. But most importantly, it encourages people with PTSD and TBI to reach out for support." —Military Working Dog Team Support Association

"By every measure, Cairo most certainly deserves to be remembered as the American hero that he was...Cairo—and other military and law enforcement working dogs like him—are heroes of the unwavering loyalty and steadfastness that perhaps only a dog could fully muster. Cairo’s story helps us to remember that." —The Havok Journal

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169255874
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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