Hellcat News (Garnet Valley, Pa.), Vol. 69, No. 6, Ed. 1, February 2016 Page: 10 of 24
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Page 10
HELLCAT NEWS
Febuary 2016
One of the first scout dog patrols to be used on Luzon in WWII.
Briefing prior to a patrol. via Flickr
Harbor killed more than 2,300 Americans and ushered the U. S.
into war, dog-savvy civilians were determined to persuade the
military to consider canine help.
In January 1942, “Dogs for Defense” was established, just a
month after Pearl Harbor. A group of dog-minded individuals
were inspired to organize the effort: Harry L. Caesar, director
of the American Kennel Club; Leonard Brumby, President of
the Professional Dog Handlers’ Association; Dorothy Long,
who was an authority on canine obedience training; Arthur
Kilbon, a dog fancier and writer; and poodle breeder and
dog show exhibitor Arlene Erlanger, who later wrote the
official war dog training manual for the army, met to discuss
the project. Their immediate focus was the use of dogs on
sentry duty to guard against attacks in the U.S. and its harbors.
Obedience clubs and local dog trainers were poised to become
involved, and radio announcements and newspaper articles
urged owners to donate Fido to help win the war.
By March 1942, “Dogs for Defense” was recognized as
the official agency for choosing and training sentry dogs. The
group hoped to deliver dogs for the Army, Navy and Coast
Guard. Training was then taken up by the Quartermaster
Corps of the Army, which originally planned the war dog
experiment for just 200 dogs, a number that quickly ballooned.
The Marines handled the selection and training of their own
dogs, focusing mainly on Doberman pinschers and German
Shepherds.
Originally, the call for war dogs included any physically
sound purebred of either gender, age five or under, at least
20 inches at the shoulder, and “the characteristics of a
watchdog,” according to the Quartermaster General. But with
purebreds being scarce, the requirements were relaxed to
include crossbreds. Eventually, some breeds emerged as more
suitable than others, based on temperament, skill, and even
coat color (pale or parti-color coats would be too easy for an
enemy to spot). The Army’s 1942 list of 32 breeds classified
as war dogs was later trimmed to 18, and to just five breeds
by 1944. Those who love French poodles may be surprised to
learn that the standard poodle was on the early lists; cited by
the Army for its “unusual ability to learn and retain, and its
keen senses.” While poodles did not serve overseas or make
the army’s final list, they did work as sentries and guard dogs
stateside.
More than 10,400 dogs were ultimately trained, many
donated by families that trustingly shipped their pets into
service. At a training center - at Front Royal, VA, or one
of four other centers later established - the dogs learned to
be sentries, scouts, messengers, or mine detectives. They
learned to cope with the sounds of gunfire and the routine
of a soldier’s life - a jolting change from chasing a ball or
begging for treats. A charming children’s book called Private
Pepper of Dogs for De fense, by Frances Cavanah and Ruth
Cromer Weir, chronicled the fictional tale of a typical recruit,
a collie donated by his young owner, Keith. Pepper’s journey
included the discipline of a soundless growl to warn his
handler of danger.
At war’s end, after a retraining period that helped them
readjust to civilian life, most of the pets that had served as
“dogs for defense” returned to their families, or retired to live
with their military partners. Recognizing the value of dogs in
the service of America, the military replaced the volunteered
pets with professionals. All military dogs since World War II
have been canines belonging solely to the military, trained for
a variety of jobs, both in and out of combat.
But the special canine veterans that served “over there”
have not been forgotten by history. A Disney movie, Chips
the War Dog, dramatized the story of the best-known canine
hero of World War II. Chips was a mixed breed that attacked
an enemy machine gun crew in Sicily and was awarded the
Silver Star and Purple Heart for his efforts (both later revoked
due to the species of the recipient). The film gave Chips a
Hollywood makeover, portraying him as a robust, purebred
German shepherd.
The fictional “Private Pepper” story had a sequel. Private
Pepper Comes Home illustrated the collie’s recovery from a
war injury and his glad return home to retirement, even as his
recalled training comes in handy when an intruder threatened
those he loves. And the “Always Faithful” memorial in Guam,
with its sculpture of a Doberman pinscher on guard atop a roll
call of beloved names, stands in honor of World War II’s brave
canines. Max, Prince, Cappy, Skipper, and so many more, are
immortalized by this memorial to their endurance and loyalty.
At the University of Tennessee’s veterinary school, an exact
replica of the memorial is a quiet reminder of those furry war
veterans, all gone now, but still saluted for their chapter in
America’s war story.
119TH ARMORED
ENGINEER BATTALION
Mary Anne Delker
7 Voyager Dr., St. Peters, M0 63376
636-928-5391 mdelker@att.net
I have a question for everyone to ponder. When we were
told back in 1993 that we had experienced a 100 year flood,
why would it happen again 22 years later in 2015? As I am
writing this column it is the end of December and we have just
had in St. Louis, 10 plus inches of rain in a three day period
just after Christmas. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and
all of our smaller rivers and creeks are rising to levels that
will equal or surpass the levels in 1993, which we were told
then was historic. Interstate 70 that goes across our state, was
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News (Garnet Valley, Pa.), Vol. 69, No. 6, Ed. 1, February 2016, newspaper, February 2016; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth861562/m1/10/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.