Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-05-02


The dog has from tie earliest times
been regarded as the friend Of man.
He has been fond and faithful com.
panion; has been employed as a herds
man; to provide relief for stricken
travellers; to carry burdens; to start
game and even to trace criminals.
But the latest use to which the dog
has been put is to make war upon his
old friend and benefactor. man At
the present time the British is the onlS
army in which dogs are not trained
and utilized as eficient agents of war.
This is because the Englishman is SD,
humane that he has scorDed to sec
the poor animal shelled aad manned
upon the battlefield.
In the armies of Germany, France.
Austria, Russia and Italy, dogs are
found to be useful in military service.
Since 1883 army dogs have been in
troduced into the German sharp shoot
ing battalion. The best trainers are
the men Of the Jaeger regiments, in
all of which a special officer and body
OF men are told off 10 train and look
after the dogs. They are taught 20
march without frisking about, 20
avoid barking. but to bring ir ser
vice their wonderful ears by pointing
or uttering low growl if strangers
are furt!Te. approaching camp. They
are $3.50 trained by the German regI
ments to carry messages up to two
miles by certain devious paths. and
afterwaTd across the country. and to
be obedient TO men wearing the com
mon uniform of the regiment to which
they belong. Upon the same princi.
pie they are to avoid and even to
show fight to men OF uniforms to which
they are not accustomed For all
these purposes pointers and other
short-haired sporting dogs. Scotch
sheep dogs, and Pomeranian mastiffs
are considered the best. These dogs
are strong, swift and intelligent ana
indeed when one comes to think 1t
over there is not much more difficulty
in training a dog to aid his master TO
fight his enemies than 10 assist him
in trapping game or to perform for the
amusement of spectators on the stage.
Bull dogs have been known to asp
the throat of a person with whom
their owner was in alteration; and in
such case an adversary accom-
panied by ferocious dog would be
much more dangerous than withoutone
Bismarck for years appreciated the
value of such aid in an emergency,
and it is said that the dogs which ac-
companied HIM and which became IA
nous in Bismarks pictures would
have torn to pieces anyone who laid
violent hands upon their august mas
ter, Nor was Bismarck the first to
discover this fighting instinct in the
dog.
Many years before when Irish and
lords were rack-renting their ten.
antry after he manner of the Otto.
man Turks. 4 man could be seen in
Irish towns moving around on mar
ket days with a brace load Of pistols,
hanging from a holster carried IN front
Of him like q blacksmith's apron an
a surly-lOoking mastiff keeping step on
either side Of him. Before Gladstone
cane to heir relief. Irish landlords
went armed ready for business.
The first thing the dog must learn
is to stand In line and 10 obey the call
to attention: then he must learn to re.
spond to a limited vocabulary and
fetch, lie down, watch out, bark OF
march off at command, most Of which
things are now done by hunting dogs
with surprising accuracy aud intelli-
gence In the Russian army J!g S.
Bernard wolfdOgs and sheeD-dogs are
used. These are trained 70 crouch TO