The Portland daily press., 1881-12-16
Regimental Dogs.
[Daily News.1

A French paper has been lifting up its voice
in favor of very humble yet interesting sec
tion Of the military establishment-regiment
dogs. Formerly almost every battalion or cav
airy squadron of the French army had its pet
dog, an animal who belonged to nobody in par
ticular, but who contrived to serve his many
masters with fidelity and zeal. He was free OF
the barrack rooms; he dined off the soldiers
leayings; he harbored proper prejudice
against civilians, and barked at them; but he
wagged his tail in a friendly way to every one
wearing red trousers. When the battalion
marched out the dog marched out too stepping
decorously by the drum majors side, with his
tail curled, and disdaining the greetings of the
other dogs who might be anxious to salute him
in the streets.
Some of these dogs acquired renown in war.
There was Pistache, the dog Of the second bat
TALON of the Third Chasseurs, who got wound
ed scampering up the heights OF Alma, and re-
ceived q medal which he wore to the day of
his death attached to silver collar. There
was Capricorne, who was present with the Six,
ty-fifth regiment at the taking of the village of
Magenta, and who is said to have dragged a
yiyandiere by the skirt to Q spot where an Off
Ger lay wounded and gasping for water. This
dog got medal too. 1t might have been
thou ght that such recolleetions wonld have
pleaded In favor of martially disposed dogs
| TO all time; but General Fare, the war minis
| ter, who has abolished SO many things dear to
| the military mind-drums, drum majors,
| breastplates and white gloves-some months
| ago issued an edict that all dogs should be ex-
| nailed from barracks. He did not make use of
| the proyerbial excuse that they were liable
| to 90 mad but he charged them with being
| ouarrelsome. 1t was said that when sew
| eral battalions were quartered in one barrack
their fdogs fought for supremacy; and still
| more painful accusation was preferred against
one individual dog OF having snapped at the
| calves of an inspector-general who had walked
| into a barrack ward in plain clothes. These
| charges proved fatal to the dogs, and they had
| to 20. There were some sad leave takings
| when the four-footed pets were turned out 10
| find new homes in the houses OF married Off
| GERS for that was the destiny Of most OF them;
| and pathetic scenes when some OF these ami
| mails. breaking away from their restraints,
| found their way back 20 barracks and gam
| boiled in, leaping and yelping with joy.
| 1t seems, indeed, that few OF the cashiered
| dogs have been able to accomodate themselves
| to the irksomeness of civilian life The sol
| diers, an the other hand, find barracks duller
than over without the dogs, and it is being
| urged on their behalf that General Fare
would do popular thing il he revoked his
edict. It has been announced that in the Rus
sian army dogs are being trained to act as sem
| tries. No such utilitarian purpose IS contem-
| plated by those who would like to see the
| French military dog restored to his franchises;
/ il is simply for him that he was cheerful
| COMPANION, who pleased the soldiers by his
| antics. his cleverness (for he was sometimes
trained to walk on his hind legs and shoulder
| arms) and who was devoted, watchful, but
above all amusing.