{"id":2488,"date":"2019-08-20T03:21:51","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T01:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/?p=2488"},"modified":"2021-10-17T19:49:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-17T17:49:00","slug":"amazing-roles-dogs-ww1-scouts-sentries-ambulance-messenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/amazing-roles-dogs-ww1-scouts-sentries-ambulance-messenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazing Roles Dogs Played during WW1, part 2: Scouts, Sentries, Ambulance and Messenger Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prepare to be amazed by the scouts, sentries, ambulance and messenger dogs of WW1. During the Great War the military dogs first trained by military Scotsman Lt Col Edwin Hautenville Richardson proved invaluable as trench dogs. Other dogs of smaller size, did an amazing job as ratters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Dogs used as scouts during WW1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These dogs were trained to point when an intruder was spotted (sniffed) and not bark since secrecy was the key to these missions. They could detect enemy scent up to 1000 yards away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scout dogs were trained to stiffen, raise their hackles and point their ail, thus indicated that an enemy was approaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germans were the first to use scout dogs,\nsending them over no man\u2019s land to spy on Allies\u2019 positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing
Scout and dog patrol. Source metropostcard – Amazing Roles Dogs Played during WW1, part 2: Scouts, Sentries, Ambulance and Messenger Dogs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dogs used as sentries or guards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These dogs were invaluable especially during the night when they would prevent any night surprises coming from the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either in the front lines, to guard against\nenemy incursions, or guarding important facilities or locations behind the\nlines together with their handler, dogs proved priceless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A sentry dog watching over a soldier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They were trained to give a warning signal\nsuch as a growl, or snarl to indicate a suspect presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes dogs even worked alone in a trench, especially at night, to watch out for enemy activity while the humans rested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messenger dogs of WW1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Give their small size and speed, dogs soon proved to be much better at delivering messages than any human, especially when any other mean of communication was cut off or the battle was taking place in an inhospitable land, such as the jungles of Pacific Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing
WW1 British messenger dogs and their handler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dogs also braved the bullets, showing much determination in getting the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The dogs were trained to ignore the fire of guns of all calibers, and were accustomed to the explosion of hand grenades near them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A messenger dog during WW1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes messenger dogs carried… other messengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing
Carrier pigeons in cages on back Airedales terrier WW1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other dogs were trained as Ambulance or Casualty Dogs, Red Cross Dogs or Mercy Dogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although still informal, dogs helped a\ngreat deal during the Great War. It is believed that on both sides 10 000 dogs\nserved in the Red Cross and these dogs undertook the most severe training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Red Cross dog trained to search for wounded soldiers while under fire, 1915.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite pictures from the Great War depicts two canine buddies walking side by side, two Red Cross dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Were they a team? One carrying medical supplies, the other one, with a gas mask on, trained to jump in the trenches, checking for the wounded soldiers? Were they taking strength from each other? Their body language tells me they were happy, determined on their task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germans were the first to begin training\nAmbulance Dogs, Sanitatshunde, <\/em>in\n1893.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A German Sanitatshunde – Red Cross Dog. WW1. Source Metropostcard <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst Aid Dogs\u201d were trained not to bark when they found a disabled soldier and to disregard dead soldiers. On locating a wounded soldier, the dog was trained to get close enough so that the soldier may open the first aid box the dog carried. Then the canine would tear a piece of the uniform or retrieve the soldier\u2019s cap back to the kennel – to identify the fallen soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Red Cross dog taking a kepi from a wounded soldier back to the stretcher-bearer for identification of the wounded, The Great War<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Returned to the kennel the dog would bark and head back, showing he found an injured soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this was in theory and real life situations forced a change in the way the Red Cross Dogs were trained as sometimes there was no cap and the loosest thing a dog chose to remove was often a bandage. Eventually dogs were fitted with a loose collar which they could grab and hold in their mouth as a sign they found a wounded soldier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the aftermath of a battle, the Red Cross dogs would localize the wounded and wait by their side for the stretcher bearers to arrive and pick up the soldier, transporting him to a hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"France,
France, WW1. A training picture here shows a dog waiting for stretcher bearers where the wounded are lying. source doglowreporter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is amazing is that dogs were indeed\ntrained to recognize uniforms in order to tell friend from foe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing
Mercy or Ambulance Dogs of WW1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

England, France, Russia and Germany – they all used military dogs trained for the the same purposes. And, true to their nature, the dogs often did more than it was expected from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although some dogs were trained as messengers, when a buddy was in need they didn’t shied away from the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prusco<\/strong>, a French dog that looked like a white wolf, is said to have saved more than a hundred men. On another occasion he dragged three wounded soldiers to a safe place, out of enemy fire, where they could wait to be removed from the battlefield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The French war-dog Prusco was employed in carrying messages from a motor-cycle scout to headquarters. This dog and his companions penetrated the enemy lines on many occasions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Italians trained some of their dogs to carry ammunition over hard to reach\nmountain passes<\/strong> by means of a harness and strapped to their backs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazing
Dogs carrying ammunition strapped to their backs. Source metropostcard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In France, WW1 saw the boom of the \u201cSociete Nationale des Chiens Sanitaires\u201d in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Allied
Allied soldier bandages the paw of a Red Cross medic-dog in Belgium, 1917.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, war propaganda was quick on picking up the civilian\u2019s interest in war dogs, these silent heroes, and use it as this French postcards shows. This postcard (bellow) was banned in 1915 because censors felt its cruel spirit was demeaning to France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"French
French propaganda postcard of WW1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So far we saw how the friendship between humans and dog started,<\/a> some 26 000 years ago. we saw how dogs joined kings in battles and why dogs are so indispensable during war. We saw how canines helped in the trenches as scouts, sentries, ambulance and messenger dogs. Next time we will look at dogs who pulled machine guns and sleigh and then at some mascot dogs of WW1 and WW2 as well as how the role dogs plaid during the Second World War changed. And we won’t stop there, so be sure to return and check new blog posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Do check out my book Joyful Trouble<\/a>, A humorous read about an incredible dog and how he had found his true, yet unexpected calling. It is a book for all ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Joyful<\/a>
Joyful Trouble, a book that reads like a movie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My adult fiction<\/strong> book, Silent Heroes<\/a>, is a #1 New Release, a contemporary fiction novel,  filled with action and emotional twists and turns. \u201cSilent Heroes\u201d has a strong historical and cultural feel of the area when the action takes place, Afghanistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Silent<\/a>
Silent Heroes: When Love and Values Are Worth Fighting for – New Contemporary Fiction by Patricia Furstenberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prepare to be amazed by the scouts, sentries, ambulance and messenger dogs of WW1. During the Great War the military dogs first trained by military Scotsman Lt Col Edwin Hautenville Richardson proved invaluable as trench dogs. Other dogs of smaller size, did an amazing job as ratters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1328,1808,1334,1571],"tags":[1570,1568,1562,401,1559,1506,1569,1498,1567,1563,1564,1565,1566,1445],"class_list":["post-2488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dogs","category-history","category-mwd-military-working-dogs","category-ww1","tag-aid","tag-ambulance","tag-canine-help","tag-dogs","tag-great-war","tag-history","tag-messanger","tag-military","tag-red-cross","tag-scout-dogs","tag-searching","tag-sentries","tag-sentry","tag-ww1"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2-The-dogs-were-also-trained-to-carry-first-aid-and-supplies-for-soldiers-at-the-front-Getty-source-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2481,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/amazing-roles-dogs-played-during-ww1-part-1-dogs-in-trenches-and-ratter-dogs-via-patfurstenberg-dogs-war-trenches-ratters-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":0},"title":"Amazing Roles Dogs Played During WW1, part 1, Dogs in Trenches and Ratter Dogs","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"18\/08\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Although still informal, dogs helped a great deal during the Great War, WW1, especially in the trenches, and as ratter dogs. \"War is hell\", said Union Army General Sherman referring to the Civil War, but he could have just as well referred to the Great War, a war of trenches,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"captain_with_dog_in_trenches 1914","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/captain_with_dog_in_trenches-1914-e1616692764958.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2517,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/amazing-roles-dogs-played-during-ww1-part-3-sled-dogs-pulling-dogs-via-patfurstenberg-dogs-ww2-sled-winter-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":1},"title":"Amazing Roles dogs Played During WW1, part 3: Sled Dogs, Pulling Dogs","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"25\/08\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I can easily imagine sled dogs, even during WW1, but pulling dogs? How were they different and, mostly, what were they pulling? Dogs PULLING wheeled machine guns Before the Great War, in some European countries such as Belgium and Netherlands, strong dogs were used to pull the milk carts. Before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Amazing roles dogs played during WW1, part 3: sled dogs and pulling dogs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/poilus-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/poilus-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/poilus-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/poilus-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2574,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/amazing-true-stories-ww1-dogs-greatwar-truestory-history-lestweforget\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":2},"title":"Amazing, True Stories of WW1 Dogs, Lest We Forget","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"27\/08\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you read my previous posts you surely discovered the incredible variety of tasks that dogs performed, willingly, during the Great War, Lest We Forget. No matter their size or breed, dogs found a place in the hearts of the troops, saving a great deal of lives in between. Dogs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Amazing, True Stories of WW1 Dogs via @PatFurstenberg #dogs #war #WW1 #truestory #history #LestWeForget","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1939-September-A-Bulldog-stands-guard-outside-a-block-of-flats-in-South-London.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1939-September-A-Bulldog-stands-guard-outside-a-block-of-flats-in-South-London.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1939-September-A-Bulldog-stands-guard-outside-a-block-of-flats-in-South-London.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2535,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/dog-mascots-ww1-cute-faces-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":3},"title":"Dog Mascots of WW1 and Their Cute Faces","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"29\/08\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"With their cute, innocent faces it is understandable how in times of pain and sorrow, like WW1, any kind of dog made a great mascot. We saw already what amazing roles dogs played during the Great War and how many lives they saved. They've been helping in the trenches, acted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dog Mascots of WW1 and Their Fascinating Stories","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hero_mascot-pooch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hero_mascot-pooch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/hero_mascot-pooch.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2753,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/british-dogs-ww2-amazing-cute-incredible\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":4},"title":"British Dogs of WW2, the Amazing, the Cute and the Incredible","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"20\/09\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Training dogs to be used in the military has been a slow start for the Allies during WW2, with Germany secretly taking the lead. Perhaps the one quality that was often taken for granted and all canines possessed was their ability to empathize with humans, the millennial bond between man\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"US Marine Private John Drugan and his war dog, Okinawa, Japan, May 1945 ww2dbase","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/US-Marine-Private-John-Drugan-and-his-war-dog-Okinawa-Japan-May-1945-ww2dbase-e1773808164189.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2468,"url":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/why-were-dogs-indispensable-in-warfare-how-dog-training-began-pat-furstenberg\/","url_meta":{"origin":2488,"position":5},"title":"Why Dogs Were so Indispensable During Warfare, How Dog Training Began","author":"Patricia Furstenberg","date":"13\/08\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever wondered how dog training began? It was 1895 when Lt Col Edwin Hautenville Richardson, a Scot military man, noticed a German man buying a sheepdog from a shepherd.On engaging the two, Richardson learns that the German army was buying British collies to train and use in their own military\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dogs in History"","block_context":{"text":"Dogs in History","link":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/category\/dogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Why were dogs so indispensable during warfare AND how dog training began","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/helpful-dog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/helpful-dog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/helpful-dog.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Kh37-E8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2488"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17812,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions\/17812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alluringcreations.co.za\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}