Sergent Stubby

 

 

"The most decorated dog of WWI was Sergent Stubby.  Stubby was found on the campus of Yale University in 1917 by John Robert Conroy while he was training on the university's grounds.  He learned to march, he learned different bugle calls, and even learned to give a salute.

"He was smuggled by Conroy onto the ship that took him to France, and was a favorite of all there.  Once in France, he was discovered by Conroy's commanding officer, but after hearing of Stubby's training, his voyage, and seeing him salute, allowed him to stay.  He was given special orders to accompany the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Divisionto the front as their mascot.  He served in France for 18 months in four offensives and seventeen battles."
 

"From wikipedia:

'He entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month. In April 1918, during a raid to take Seicheprey (Meurthe-et-Moselle), Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was sent to the rear for convalescence, and as he had done on the front was able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby returned to the trenches.

After being gassed himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, located wounded soldiers in no man's land, and — since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could — became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover. He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. Following the retaking of Château-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamoisParis with Corporal Conroy, Stubby saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home. '"

http://therowdyretrievergirls.blogspot.com/2010/11/war-dogs-of-wwi.html