The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-31
WAR DOCS" USED in sATTLE.
Act as Scouts, outposts and Red Cross
Assistant.

|
| In medieval times the war dog Otter
| appears defending conveys and lug
| gage, and dogs clad in mail. with
scythes and spikes jutting out we're
used to distract the enemy's cavalry
Even port-fres were placed on the
dogs backs to set fire to the enemy's
camps.
| The Turks also used dogs as scouts.
| Napoleon, In Italy, used dogs as scouts.
and one, Moustache, became famous
for tracking spies.
But nowadays they do things with
war dogs that would have astonished
| the ancients. The Germans have used
them for 20 years. Spain and Holland
have taken them up. We use them IN
! the Philippines. Great Britain alone
is, as usual, conservative.
Dogs are used as scouts 10 warn
| troops of lurking enemies, as outpOsts
and as messengers between pickets,
! supports and reserves. Particularly at
night are they useful. In battle dogs
carry ammunition to the firing line.
and after Il is over they can beat the
Red Cross men at finding the wound
ed.
The best war dogs are medium-sized
for they do no actual fighting, but
belong rather to the intelligence de-
! partment They must come OF work
| ing stock and have hard feet. Collies
have, on the whole, proved most fit
and female dogs are far preferable to
males.
Sporting dogs cannot eradicate their
love of chase. which might lead to the
gravest consequences in military en-
ployment. Greyhounds have little in
telligence, bad noses, are difficult to
teach, and are all born hunters. Fox
terriers and the other terriers are too
small Bulldogs and bull terriers are
difficult to manage. The poodle has
intelligence, but it is not fitted for the
work. Newfoundlands. st. Bernards,
mastiffs and Danes would soon tire on
a hot march in summer. For draught
purposes they could be used, as In the
Italian army. but they lack endurance.
The. war dog should assist the ad-
vance guard, scour the country and
.
dog so trained in peace should be In
valuable in war. For instance, take
the services he renders to the customs
officials on the various continental
frontiers. where the smuggling by
means of dogs loaded with contraband
has to be kept down.
The war dog should scout out by
,,tord of command md bia rnpyprnanta
should be an easy index Of the where
/ abouts of an enemy; the smallest in
dentation of ground should no longer
serve for an enemy's ambuscade. The
dogs can also scent out tracks of the
enemy and bring him to bay; but the
eyes of scout must be liked only on
the dog to watch his movements, and
on nothing else. In reconnoitring hills
the scouts should remain at the top
and put out the dogs over the top. In
reconnoitring defiles the dogs should be
sent up both sides and through the
center. In examining villages the dogs
should be sent up the principal streets,
and all haystacks, gardens. etc, should
be visited while looking out for lurk-
ing enemies; in fact, dogs do this work
far quicker than dismounted men.
Two hundred dogs, chiefly sheep
dogs, are at present attached to the
German forces operating in Herrero
Land, Africa, under Gen. Won Trotha.
I One of them, Flock" has been sent
home to Kiel inyalided. He was
wounded by bullet in the engagement
of opajbo while scouting in front of
the skirmishing line. He displayed the
greatest feariessness under fire, and
worked faultlessly until disabled. The
Japanese are using number OF dogs
for reconnoi,ring purposesj they are
attached to long ropes and are well
trained. The Russians are employ
ing dogs for sentry and messenger
work. v
| Capt Persidsky Of the late Count
Keller's STAFF, writing from Odessa,
says: I'm finding the wounded men
with which the millet fields ave strewn
nothing has succeeded like our seven
dogs; their intelligence. especially the
Englishbred ones, is extraordinary. -
New York Mail. o4
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