On This Day, 8 April 1918

Evening Despatch

Monday 8 April 1918

DOGS IN WAR

VALUE NOW RECOGNISED BY BRITISH AUTHORITIES

The value of dogs on the battlefield has at last been recognised by the British officials, and they are now being trained for service at the front by an expert of world-wide fame as a trainer of police and war dogs.

Mr. Johns (secretary of the National Canine Defence League) said that Airedales and Irish terriers were mainly used for work in the trenches and in No-Man’s Land, as they were so highly intelligent, and could signal the approach of the Germans long before they could be seen owing to their keen sense of hearing and extraordinary instinct.

These dogs wear gas masks, and they frequently get killed or wounded. It is also stated that the dogs have been trained to perform their duties during heavy firing, both by guns and rifles, and they face being fired at at close quarters.

A Note:

The National Canine Defence League is now known as the Dog’s Trust. Please refer to the following links for further information on the use of Dog’s in wartime:

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/factsheets-downloads/dogstrusthistory.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-25147640

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060022726

Natalia Siemens