With MKUltra, the CIA had already begun pushing ethical and scientific boundaries in the name of Cold War advantage. This clandestine series of trials tested mind control techniques on humans using drugs, shocks, and radio waves. But while these human trials drew significant later attention, a lesser-known subproject targeted animals—particularly dogs—as potential tools of war and espionage.
The operation, known as Subproject 94, sought to remotely control animals for reconnaissance and sabotage missions. Declassified documents revealed in 2002 detailed how six dogs of various breeds were implanted with stimulation devices to manipulate their behavior using electrical signals. While the idea never reached the battlefield, it remains a stark example of how far intelligence agencies were willing to go in their search for control.
How the CIA Wired Six Dogs for Obedience
The experiments took place between 1961 and 1962, according to redacted CIA documents released decades later. The project’s stated goal was “to examine the feasibility of controlling the behavior of a dog, in an open field, by means of remotely triggered electrical stimulation of the brain.” Electrodes were implanted into the dogs’ pleasure centers, and the animals were guided using a system of positive feedback.
As reported by Popular Mechanics, John Lisle, a historian and author of Project Mind Control, explained that handlers would activate the brain stimulator when the dogs moved in the desired direction. When they strayed, the stimulation would stop, prompting the dog to adjust course in search of the pleasurable sensation. “Then it would turn its head to look for that pleasure feeling,” said Lisle.
The experiment’s budget in 1961 reached $55,000—about $600,000 today—including $1,000 for veterinary services and $2,000 for experimental organisms. Complications arose, especially when dogs developed infections from the implants. Researchers eventually resorted to embedding electrodes in dental cement on the skull and routing wires beneath the skin to battery packs mounted on harnesses. Despite the crude setup, the report noted “the relative ease with which a dog may be trained to respond.”
Before Dogs, Bats and Cats Were on the CIA’s List
The remote-control dog program was part of a longer tradition of CIA and military attempts to weaponize animals. As far back as World War II, the Office of Strategic Services—precursor to the CIA—experimented with training bats to carry incendiary bombs, expecting them to roost in enemy structures before detonation. According to Lisle, the OSS also tried to exploit Japanese folklore during Operation Fantasia by releasing radioactive, glowing foxes to mimic supernatural beings known as kitsune.
In the MKUltra years, other animals were similarly recruited for espionage. Red-tailed hawks were trained to fly over enemy zones with cameras, while ravens were used to drop recording devices on window ledges. The most infamous trial may have been Acoustic Kitty, a failed attempt to implant a microphone into a housecat’s skull and turn it into a mobile spy. The cat was killed during its first test run, hit by a taxi before completing its mission.
“The thinking went from training animals to specifically controlling them,” Lisle said, emphasizing how MKUltra marked a shift toward more invasive manipulation. Unlike training, this new direction sought to eliminate free will altogether in living subjects.
A Chilling Blueprint for Future Applications
While Subproject 94 was ultimately shelved, the ambition behind it hinted at much broader—and darker—plans. In the final report, researchers speculated about replacing the manual controls with automated systems that could guide animals without human intervention. Future test subjects, it suggested, could include larger species “capable of carrying heavy payloads over great distances under adverse climatic conditions.”
According to Lisle, the agency considered bears and yaks for such tasks, hoping to turn them into mobile delivery systems for chemical or biological weapons in Soviet territory. The experiments also outlined the potential for using dogs as mobile bombs, with remote detonation capability. “A dog may be used as a guided missile in destroying small strategic structures,” the report stated bluntly.
The most extreme goal, however, was not just about animals. Lisle explains the endgame was to adapt these methods to humans—to develop remote-controlled operatives, the kind of real-life “Manchurian candidates” that Hollywood later popularized. “Not that that ever happened,” he noted, “but that was the thinking.”
Today, the project stands as a relic of a Cold War era when the lines between innovation, ethics, and desperation blurred. The dogs used in Subproject 94 never saw active duty, and many of the agency’s ideas were abandoned due to impracticality or public exposure.