Uncle Sam Wants You, Fido

First it was the Marine Corps advertising for "a few good men." Now the Air Force Security Training Command is getting in step with a newspaper campaign in search of "a few good dogs." Their duties: serving as guard dogs and as sniffers in the search for terrorist bombs and drugs.

The payoff for a lifetime hitch is $400, not to the dog but to its owner. The Government does not, of course, discriminate between males and females, but equal-opportunity laws are bypassed when it comes to breeding; recruitment is limited to such watchful species as German shepherds and Rottweilers. The "military working dogs" are shipped to Texas for basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, where they learn obedience, mauling, snarling, sniffing and other suitable skills. In the new armed forces, the routine is hardly a dog's life. An animal psychologist is on hand if basic training becomes too tough.