Mike Ritland

Michael B. Ritland born in Waterloo, Iowa is a former United States Navy SEAL, public speaker and dog trainer. He created the Warrior Dog Foundation, to provide care to dogs that have ended their service in battle front, and the Team Dog Online Training Community.

Military career

Ritland joined the US Navy in 1996. Ritland reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and graduated from BUD/S class 215 in 1998.[1] Ritland served 12 years as a US Navy SEAL with SEAL Team THREE and saw action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and numerous special operations missions. A nearby marine mission in particular, had a detailed account of an explosive-detector dog alert to a grenade booby trap hidden in a doorway, saving the lives of the Marines assigned to the mission. Ritland then decided to work with similar dogs, and harness their abilities to defeat the tools of modern warfare. Due to that, Ritland became a Navy SEAL Multi-purpose canine trainer.[2]

After his service, Ritland served as the West Coast Navy SEAL Multi-purpose canine trainer. After his time on the west coast, he started Trikos International, which specializes in providing working K9s to celebrities, private individuals, and government agencies.[3] He has over 15 years experience in importing, breeding, raising, and training multiple breeds of working dogs.

Ritland also created the Warrior Dog Foundation, a non-profit special operations K9 retirement foundation,[4] dedicated to serving working military K9s, the special operations community, and their families.

He has been asked to work with various pet companies like Dogtra,[5] Oma's Pride Raw Dog Food, and TEFCO.[6]

He and his personal K9 collaborated in 2013 with Xbox to create Call of Duty: Ghosts, contributing to the creation of the character of the dog.[7]

Online presence

In addition to its presence in social networks, Ritland provides online training to dog owners through the Team Dog Online Training Community.

He is credited in helping mainstream the "Epstein didn't kill himself" internet meme at the end of an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News. Ritland asked if he could give a "PSA". After being told that he could, he stated, "If you see the coverage [about combat dogs] and you decide I want one of these dogs, either buy a fully trained and finished dog from a professional or just don't get one at all. That, and Epstein didn't kill himself."[8][9] Ritland later stated his purpose for suddenly mentioning the phrase was to keep the Jeffrey Epstein story alive.[10][11] According to The Washington Post, the meme gained a large amount of attention in the immediate aftermath of this interview.[12][13]

Books and publications

Mike Ritland is a New York Times Best Selling author:[14][15]

  • Trident K9 Warriors, Publisher St. Martin's Paperbacks, ISBN 978-1250073051[16][17]
  • Navy SEAL Dogs, Publisher St. Martin's Griffin, ISBN 9781250049698[18]
  • TEAM Dog, Publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0425276273[19]

He also has been featured in publications such as Town & Country,[20] Police K9 Magazine,[21] K9 Cop Magazine,[22] SOFREP,[23] The Washington Post,[24] the Huffington Post,[25] NYPOST,[26] Men's Journal,[27] Texas Monthly.[28]

Conferences and media

He was keynote speaker for Purdue University's Discovery Lecture Series, for Bucknell University,[29] and for various schools for children across the United States.

He participated in conferences across the country, including Stansberry Conference Series,[30] ESA Security Conference, HITS Training Conference,[31] California Narcotic Canine Association,[32] and IaAWPd Iowa Association of Women Police.

He also has been interviewed by CBS Baltimore,[33] CBS' 60 Minutes,[34] CBS 60-Minutes Overtime,[35] C-SPAN,[16] Fox News,[36][37] and Fox and Friends,[38] among others.

References
  1. "BUD/S class graduates".
  2. "Mike Ritland - Macmillan Speakers Bureau". Macmillan Speakers Bureau. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  3. "Trikos International - Ever Vigilant | Navy SEALs". Navy SEALs. 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  4. "The Warrior Dogs That Inspired 'Max'". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  5. Dogtra (2016-08-30), Ep.1 - K9 Dog Training with Mike Ritland: Buying an e-collar, retrieved 2017-12-07
  6. "Raw High Quality Dog Food Paleo Diet | Tefco". www.rawdogfoodwholesale.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  7. "Call of Duty Ghosts - Credits" (PDF). callofduty.com. p. 11.
  8. Castrodale, Jelisa (November 13, 2019). "This Beer Says 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' on the Bottom of Its Can". Vice. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  9. Hein, Michael (November 3, 2019). "Fox News Guest Sneaks in 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Comment During Live Segment". PopCulture.com. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  10. Raymond, Adam K. (November 11, 2019). "The 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Meme Has Gone Mainstream". Intelligencer. Vox Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  11. Shultz, Alex (November 5, 2019). "Why "Jeffrey Epstein Didn't Kill Himself" Started Trending Almost Three Months After His Death". GQ. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  12. Heer, Jeet (18 November 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein Isn't Going Away". The Nation. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  13. Armus, Teo (November 14, 2019). "A GOP congressman hid a meme about Jeffrey Epstein's death in his impeachment tweets". Washington Post. Morning Mix. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  14. "Animals Books - Best Sellers - March 15, 2015 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  15. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - May 12, 2013 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  16. "Trident K9 Warriors, Feb 15 2014 | Video | C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  17. Ritland, Mike; Brozek, Gary (2015-09-01). Trident K9 Warriors: My Tale from the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines (Reprint ed.). St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 9781250073051.
  18. Ritland, Mike; Brozek, Gary; Feldman, Thea (2015-01-13). Navy SEAL Dogs: My Tale of Training Canines for Combat (Reprint ed.). St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9781250049698.
  19. Ritland, Mike (2016-01-05). Team Dog: How to Train Your Dog--the Navy SEAL Way (Reprint ed.). G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 9780425276273.
  20. "Meet Your New $100,000 Best Friend". Town & Country. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  21. Info. "Sheriffs K-9 units train like a SEAL | Police K-9 Magazine". www.policek9magazine.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  22. Magazine, K9 Cop. "December 2014/January 2015". K9 Cop Magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  23. "Navy SEAL Dog Training Tips for Dog Owners Everywhere: "Team Dog" By Mike Ritland | SOFREP". SOFREP. 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  24. Sullivan, Gail (2014-09-23). "The Belgian Malinois: The dog the White House didn't use on fence-jumping intruder". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  25. Piper, Robert (2016-07-06). "Mike Ritland former U.S. Navy SEAL: On Protection Dogs, Navy SEAL Dogs, and Dogs for Law Enforcement". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  26. "4 ways to train your dog like a Navy SEAL". New York Post. 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  27. "A Navy SEAL's 5 Tips to Train Your Dog - Men's Journal". Men's Journal. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  28. "The Dogs of War". Texas Monthly. 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  29. Badlani, Mamta. "Navy SEAL and dog inspire audience - The Bucknellian". bucknellian.net. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  30. "Mike Ritland – Las Vegas Conference 2018". stansberryvegas.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  31. "Class Schedule". HITS K9. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  32. "Instructors :: California Narcotic Canine Association". cnca.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  33. "Coffee With: Former Navy Seal And Author Mike Ritland". 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  34. "Rare look at a secret weapon with four legs". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  35. "Can this 60 Minutes producer outrun a dog?". Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  36. "Dogs of war: What roles do military working dogs play?". Fox News. 2014-02-08. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  37. Insider, Fox News (2013-04-23). "Get an Inside Look at America's Elite Military Dogs". Fox News Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  38. "How to train your dog the Navy SEAL way". Fox News. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
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