About This Stamp
In 2019, the U.S. Postal Service® honored the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs. Each of the four stamps features a stylized geometric digital illustration of one of four of the canine breeds — German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois, and Dutch shepherd — that commonly serve in America’s armed forces.
DKNG Studios created the stamp artwork by first hand-sketching the dogs, then using Adobe Illustrator to bring them to life with basic shapes and layers of color. The red, white, blue, and gold color scheme represents the American flag and the patriotism displayed by military working dogs.
The name of the depicted breed runs along the top or bottom edge of each stamp. “USA” and “Forever” appear in the bottom right corner of the German shepherd stamp, in the top right corner of the Labrador retriever stamp, in the top left corner of the Belgian Malinois stamp, and in the bottom left corner of the Dutch shepherd stamp. The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block of four. The cover of the 20-stamp booklet, which contains five of each design, showcases two of the illustrations on the stamps — the Labrador retriever and the Belgian Malinois — and three stars.
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, Texas, 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 not aggressive like other breeds; these days they are often trained as specialized search dogs.
Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.
Military Working Dogs are issued as First-Class Mail® Forever® stamps in booklets of 20. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Designer, and Typographer
Greg Breeding
Greg Breeding is a graphic designer and principal of Journey Group, a design company he co-founded in 1992, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was creative director until 2013, at which time he began serving as president and continued in that role through 2023.
Breeding’s fascination with modernism began while studying design at Virginia Commonwealth University. His affinity with the movement continues and motivates his ongoing advanced studies at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland most every summer.
As an art director for postage stamp design since 2012, Breeding has designed more than 100 stamps covering a diverse array of subjects, from Star Wars droids and Batman to Harlem Renaissance writers and the transcontinental railroad.
His work has been recognized in annual design competitions held by Graphis, AIGA, PRINT magazine, and Communication Arts.
Breeding lives in North Garden, Virginia, with his wife and enjoys nothing so much as frolicking on the floor with his grandchildren.
Stamp Artist
DKNG Studios
Dan Kuhlken and Nathan Goldman, partners in the design studio DKNG, met in high school where their first collaboration was playing in a band for which they designed album art and promotional materials. They would later begin to build a portfolio on another collaboration: posters promoting performances at West Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour.
With dynamically different skill sets ranging from fine art (Kuhlken) to film production (Goldman), DKNG Studios brings diverse talents and artistic perspectives to every project. Clients include some of the world’s most talented and iconic musical artists, brands, and businesses, among them, The Black Keys, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Outside Lands Music Festival, SXSW, Wired, Bank of America, Audi, Lucasfilm, Paramount Pictures, HBO, and MTV.
Kuhlken holds a graphic design degree from California State University Long Beach. He worked as a designer for Disney’s Consumer Products Division and various fashion labels before joining DKNG Studios full-time in 2009 where he currently serves as Creative Director and Senior Illustrator.
After graduating from the University of Southern California’s School of Film & Television, Goldman worked in the art department at Warner Bros. Television. Prior to joining DKNG as a full-time Creative Director, he served as Director of Design at the USC Design Studio.
Military Working Dogs (2019), DKNG’s first project for the U.S. Postal Service, was followed by the “Kudos!” artwork for Pinback Buttons (2024). Two of their illustrations appear on the American Vistas (2025) stamps.