The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-11-26
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DOGS AS MESSENGERS IN WAR.
They Are the Latest Bearers OF Dis
patches and May Prove VERY
s~erviceable.

As the horse goes out theSdog, 1t
would seem, is coming in. Not only
have the exigencies of the Klondike
put him suddenly in demand as the
beast Of burden, but his possible use
fulness in war is now very seriously
discussed. Indeed, in Germany he has
already been drafted into the service.
The war horse is a familiar figure, but
the war dog Is something new.
Yet 1t seems surprising, when once
our attention Is drawn to the subject,
that this most intelligent of animals
has so long been treated as a mere pet
and adjunct of sport. As everybody
knows, he is the most teachable and
loyal, as well as the most lovable, of
all the brute companions Of man, and
the qualities he has long shown on the
hunting field and elsewhere very OBJ
viously qualify him for service on the
field of battle. II is especially strange
that the English and the Americans,
with their almost excessive fondness
for the dog, should have left 1t TO the
Germans thus to develop his latent
possibilities.
How can he be made use Of In war;
In many ways. One Of the most i'm
portant, perhaps, is in carrying dis
patches. He Is far speedier than a man
-speedier than even a man on horse
back. Small and inconsplcuous, he
run far less risk from the bullets Of
the enemy; and II the poor beast is,
after all, killed, he Is only q dog-a
human life has been saved.
He takes a lively interest In his
work, GLIDING the hostile soldiers with
characteristic -eleyerness = for he
quickly lesrns the meaning OF their
uniform-and delivering his messages
with a great show OF pride and full APP
probation OF his own Importance.
His courage, too, Is not a whit In
ferior TO that OF the horse, and may
sometimes furnish a profitable object
lesson to the meu, who would be
ashamed to be outdone by q dog. He
can also DO made very serviceable In
carrying supplies OF ammunition to
the front, which he does with the same
eager zeal, refusing to stand and de.
liver to any but the soldiers Of his W
company, for whom he has q strong
fellow feeling.
For both these purposes collies are
generally preferred, combining q high
degree Of activity and endurance with
great natural ~sagacity. Where silence
Is imperative, however, they are out
Of place, since they have an uncon.
querable habit OF barking at the most
untimdy moments. This rules them
out as companions for sentries and
scoutsI but here pointers and the like
may prove extremely helpful, giving
warning without a sound Of the an.
proach and direction of danger when
a man would fail to d~etectit.
That certain varieties, such as the
bulldog and the mastiff, might, under
some conditions. be utilized as direct
and rather formidable allies In con.
fiict Is obvious; but II is more than i'm.
probable that they will ever be en-.
ployed in any such way. The idea Of
arraying savage beasts against human
beings-though really no worse than
many other things in wer-is too
shocking to the sentiments of civilized
people.-Philadelphia Press.