Big, strong, and very angry, it's not hard to see why Bony is suitable for the job of force protection. Barking and growling continuously he seems like a coiled spring, straining to be let loose and do his job.
The only person who seems to have any control of Bony is his handler, Corporal Mike Mortimer, aged 38, from the RAF Dog Squadron who is currently deployed to Camp Bastion's Military Working Dog Support Unit for four months:
"Bony is hard as nails," he said.
All of the Force Protection Dogs in Afghanistan are German Shepherds, whose natural instinct is to guard. With 42 sharp teeth, a scissor-like bite and a very strong jaw, they are a fearsome sight, especially when charging at you.
Corporal Charlie Bates, one of the handlers at Bastion, dons a thick padded protective suit and American Football-style helmet for a demonstration of Bony's abilities. We wander out into a dusty patch of ground and I am assured that Bony should know to charge at the person running - but if, for any reason, he charges at me, I am told not to move!
Corporal Mortimer brings Bony to the edge of the field, barking, salivating and wrenching at his lead. Cpl Bates starts to run, away from me, and Bony is released. He heads straight in the direction of the man fleeing and within seconds leaps up and bites onto his arm and brings the man tumbling down:
"Bony keeps you on your toes," said Corporal Mortimer. "He's always on the look out, always alert and doesn't seem to switch off."
Corporal Mortimer and Bony conduct day and night patrols of Bastion as well as pacing the firing ranges just outside the base, where local Afghans sometimes congregate to pick up the brass from spent ammunition. Bony helps keep them away from live firings, for their own safety.
Based at RAF Waddington since 2004, Corporal Mortimer's role there is similar to what he does here in Afghanistan, patrolling with dogs to protect the RAF station from potential intruders.
When working with dogs, both animal and handler require careful training. The standard training for handling a force protection dog now lasts just one week, unlike for search dogs where dog and handler need to build a much greater rapport. But when Corporal Mortimer joined the unit in 1996 he trained for seven weeks, focusing on getting the dogs to bite and develop their basic agility.
He has been with Bony for three-and-a-half months, and spent three weeks training with him back in the UK before they both deployed to Afghanistan. Bony though, will stay on in Bastion after Corporal Mortimer finishes his deployment:
"He doesn't like strangers," he said. "He's OK with me, but I'm still trying to chill him out. Bony was all-out aggressive when we got him, even overly aggressive in the kennel. I managed to calm him down and he's not aggressive to me. I'm very proud of the relationship I have with him."
Bony is young and has many years working with the military ahead of him. It is a military vet's decision as to when Bony is not fit enough anymore for his job, or if he is in too much pain to carry on. When that happens, Bony, like other Force Protection Dogs will be put down:
"If they're re-homed, they'll kill someone," said Corporal Mortimer. "Most are donated to us from rescue centres because they have bitten a kid, or because of problems chewing furniture. They start off as problem dogs and are unsuitable for civvy street. But they have a much better life in the military; they are looked after one-on-one. They have an aim in life and purpose, with less distractions now they are working. Most have done more tours than I have. They're good at what they do," he added.
They don't have to be good at much it seems, but Bony and his Force Protection Dog colleagues certainly seem to know what to do and, thankfully, when there's a choice of one person standing still and one person running, which one to attack.