The film is dedicated to the memory of the 26 dogs and 25 handlers that have been killed in the service of their country since 2003.
The dog that plays Max is named Carlos in real life. Five dogs played his stunt doubles: Jagger, Pax, Dude, Pilot, and Chaos.
A collection of pictures depicting service dogs was shown in the end credits of the movie. Some of the pictures used are from a National Geographic article titled "The Dogs of War."
Max is a Belgian Malinois which is a type of Belgian Shepherd.