Military Working Dogs (U.S. 2019)

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Announced January 29th:
“The Postal Service honors the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs with this new booklet of 20 stamps. Each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of the following breeds — German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd — that commonly serve in America’s armed forces. The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.”

Further updates will appear below, in order announced.

Updated March 29th:
These stamps will be issued Thursday, August 1, in Omaha, Nebraska, coinciding with the first day of APS StampShow 2019 in that city.

From the June 20th Postal Bulletin:

On August 1, 2019, in Omaha, NE, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Military Working Dogs stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive commemorative booklet of 20 stamps (Item 680300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide August 1, 2019, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Military Working Dogs booklet of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The Postal Service™ honors the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs with this new booklet of 20 stamps. Each block of four stamps features one of each of the following breeds serving in America’s armed forces:

  • German shepherd,
  • Labrador retriever,
  • Belgian Malinois, and
  • Dutch shepherd.

The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue, and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 680300, Military Working Dogs (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Booklet of 20 Stamps: Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Military Working Dogs Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by December 1, 2019.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Military Working Dogs Stamps
Item Number: 680300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Commemorative Booklet of 20 (4 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 1, 2019, Omaha, NE 68108
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: DKNG Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 150,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal and Vertical
Image Area (h x w): 1.085 x 1.42 in./27.559 x 36.068 mm
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 1.085 in./36.068 x 27.559 mm
Stamp Size (h x w): 1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 1.56 x 1.225 in./39.624 x 31.115 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 12 x 4 in./304.8 x 101.6 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 24 x 12 in./609.6 x 304.8 mm
Colors: 8382 Gold, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings: Cover: USPS logo • Twenty First-Class Forever stamps • MILITARY WORKING DOGS • Barcode • Plate number in fold • ©2019 USPS in fold • Promotional text in fold

Updated June 25th:
[press release]
Recognizing Four-Legged Heroes
U.S. Postal Service Honors Military Working Dogs on Forever Stamps

What: The U.S. Postal Service honors the nation’s brave and loyal canines with the Military Working Dogs Forever stamps. In this booklet of 20, each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of the following breeds—German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois —that commonly serve in America’s armed forces. News of the stamps are being shared with the hashtag #MilitaryDogsStamps.

Who: David C. Williams, Vice Chairman, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors

When: Thursday, Aug. 1, at 12 noon CDT

Where: American Philatelic Society Stamp Show
CHI Health Center Omaha
455 N. 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102

Background: Brave and loyal military working dogs are essential members of America’s armed forces. Courageous canines have aided U.S. soldiers in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Today, the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base just outside of San Antonio, TX, trains American military working dogs and their handlers.

Dozens of dog breeds have served in the U.S. armed forces, but over time the number has decreased significantly. Modern military working dogs are predominantly Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds and Dutch Shepherds. Labrador Retrievers are often trained as specialized search dogs.

The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps. The Military Working Dogs stamps are being issued as Forever stamps and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic catalog or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Updated July 4th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.57″x1.41″ The B&W pictorial postmark measures 2.93″x1.48″

25 thoughts on “Military Working Dogs (U.S. 2019)”

  1. Really getting tired of “stylized art” stamp designs. Much more effective with photos of real dogs. Normally, I would support this issue, but not this time.

    • I Agree They could have had pictures of Military Dogs in Action, or Military Dogs in Training, or Military Dogs Ready for Action, or … But to have a poor-resolution set of artists concepts – that is sad. If your going to print how many MILLIONS of these stamps, a better selection of the images is called for. This won’t sell on eBay, so I won’t buy it.

  2. Dogs at Work 65 cents, 2 ounce from 2012 the style was stamps from/based on paintings. Retriever and Shepherd featured. Military and Search and Rescue respectively. The others being Guide and Therapy dogs.

  3. This set of stamps is really ugly. Why can’t the USPS use not only pictures of real dogs, but also dogs in action? Owners of such animals deserve a better looking stamp then these “dogs”. I will not be using these for any kind of postage. At least the two ounce dog stamps of 2012, 4604-4607, looked real. The Committee who approves these type of stamps needs a wake up call.

  4. What is with all of the criticism of the barely-stylised “stylized” dogs? They are hardly stylized at all, and the idea that the stamps should depict photographs is baffling in being unsupported. What is there about any of these new or recent issues, in terms of subject, which means they should be photographs rather than engraved like classic stamps? I’d like to see the military service dogs engraved and in cartouches like Washington or Franklin in the 19th century.

    • “Barely-stylized ‘stylized’ dogs.” Really?

      These lousy designs are VERY stylized. They’re basically one-dimensional paint-by-numbers ‘mod’ art (and they are NOT, technically, “engraved”).

      And I’m sorry, having partial stars and a quilt-work-like background does NOT, to me, say anything like “military.”

      And the still life poses do not say “working” either!

      I agree with Bob, “action photos” should’ve been used (and in color!).

      Actually, I would take the “old school” (1847-1925) engraved style over what is shown. (Even an illustration like what’s on the 1963/4? “Support Law and Order” stamp would be a massive improvement.)

      • I agree with Jim. This design is just plain bad They should have used real photos, or at the very least the art style used on the T-REX stamps. They have been dead 66 million years and they look like they could come to life and walk off the stamp.
        Military working dogs are alive today, and their design looks like it should be in the wastebasket of a third grade art class.

      • They may be “lousy designs,” but they are practically objectively not “VERY stylized.” An examination of things that are actually very stylized, such as the emblazonments of certain beasts or objects in heraldry, or things as depicted in the works of some painters, would show you what “very stylized” really is. If this standard, your standard, is to be the standard, it is cutting off almost any area for stylization to exist, and this is the same sort of attitude and evaluation that pushes quite figurative art into being called “abstract.”

        Further, my point hinges, to make a pun, on the fact that they are not engraved, not that they are engraved, which they’re not. Just because subjects are perhaps modern or contemporary, or stamps are issued in contemporary times, I don’t see why they should be photographs. Homer Simpson, on the Simpsons stamps, could have been given the same treatment as Washington or Franklin on classics.

  5. And May put my 2 cents worth in. Photo’s not stylized art PERIOD! If the American people love their pets, especially dogs then this should have been a no-brainer. But then again the CSAB really are a bunch of old fuddy duddies, their track record is abysmal.
    Now the serious issue. Do you fly or take the train to Omaha, for the APS Summer Show, spend hundreds of dollars for a crap stamp, instead of something like T-Rex, State and County Fairs, Frogs etc.,
    I mean lets get real, the USPS has a captive audience and they can’t even come up with something to draw in the extra crowds. DISAPPOINTING.

    • Is the only reason you’d go to APS StampShow for the first day ceremony? The show has a lot more to offer than just that.

  6. It would have been cool if they used actual military dogs. I strongly suggest taking the time to check out Sergeant Stubby who was the most decorated war dog of World War I. Rags – who was a WWI carrier dog. He delivered messages over dangerous battlefields to Allied troops and made rank of lieutenant colonel. The most decorated military dog of WWII was Chips. Nemo was with the Air Force in the Vietnam War.

  7. From Post Bull June 20: On Auto-Distrib # 6803, #04 BK-20 $11.00, #16 -4 $3.96, #21 -4 $6.80, #10 -4 $17.95. No Cancel Images in the Post Bull.

  9. Why don’t you people cut your bitching and moaning? That truth is that these
    dogs look very good on covers. But I guess if your life depends on the above,
    then go to it.

  10. The USPS calls this issue a booklet. However, when removed from the “booklet” they look like sheet stamps. Has this been the case for any other “booklet” stamp?

  11. I agree that these are ugly and a poor representation of our hero dogs

    And the size of the stamps and booklet – I think I will gag.

  12. I collect panes and booklets. Now what am I supposed to do with this booklet that will not fit in my sheet holders? Seriously, 12 inches long???

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