The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-29
DOGS OF WAR PLAY
AN IMPORTANT PART
IN THE PRESENT WAR
Nearly Every English Regi-
ment Has Four or More
Airedales
ALSO USED BY THE
KAISER'S FORCES
Also Employed Extensively In Belgian
Army-Humorous Stories Re-
garding Indian Rulers Fight
ing For England
BY CHARLES $. RIDDLE


London, November 7.-(Special)
Real dogs of war; it seems. are play
ing an important part in the campaign
in the fighting on the Russo German
frontier, too, as the Germans especially
are known to make an extensive use of
canines both for ambulance work and
In the capacities of sentries and scouts,
and before the war were said to have
over 5000 of them ready trained for
these purposes
The French of course have long rec
ognized the dogs value in war, while
the Belgians employ them for drawing
machine guns and for many other pur-
poses. Yesterday, moreover, / was
told by Maj. e. II. Richardson, the
renowned English trainer of war ana
police dogs. that since the opening of
the campaign he has supplied fully
trained CANNES in groups of from four
to eight, to practically every English
regiment now at the front and that
while 1t is too early yet to receive re-
ports as to what service they have rem =
dored there, several had proved their
worth as sentinels previous to crossing
tn, channel. These dogs all are Are
dales, the breed that the major finds
best adapted to the work. Since the
var began, too, he has filled quite a
large order from the Belgian Red
Cross for ambulance dogs (blood-
hounds which are specially trained to
find wounded men on the battlefield).
and made a special trip across the
channel for the purpose of delivering
them in person. Dogs trained by Rich
aydson VINO formerly served in the
British army and later was instructor
TO the eX-Sultan Abdul Hamids BODY
guard, and who has devoted over 20
years to study and educating CANNES,
are also used as sentries at Gibraltar
though the number of these animals
formerly In use in the British army
was infinitesimal when compared with
those employed by the various CONT
Mental powers.
Dogs Guarded Railway
During the Manchurian campaign the
Transsiberian railway was guarded by
dogs, which partially explains why 1t
never was cut. In the last Balkan war
dogs were used by all the allied troops,
the Greeks particularly utilizing them
largely to guard the railway lines. For
the work done by his dogs in Manchuria
and Morocco, Richardson was decorated
by both the Gar and King of Spain, and
soon after the opening of the Turco-
Italian campaign in Tripoli, the famous
trainer was sent for by the Italian wal
| O1llCe ana dSkeu 10 utClot DIS " Tic dSSii
ability of using dogs in the desert CAM
paign. AS result within a few weeks
between 500 and 600 dogs were serving with
the colors, and did yeoman service, giving
warning of several unexpected night at
tacks, and at Derna undoubtedly saving
a large Italian force from extinction Four
of Richardson's dogs also accompanied
the last English punitive expedition in
India against the wild Abors, this in No
nd timely DOtiCa of
several attacks by the savage tribesmen.
Major Richardson admits frankly that
he first got the idea of training dogs for
use In war when he discovered, while
visiting in Scotland a score of years ago,
that the Germans were buying quantities
of sheep dogs there for use with their
army The Teutons in their turn, he add
ed, came to realize the value of CANNES
in war owing to American experience with
them in the civil war, when four-footed
warriors fought on both sides with
great distinction, though none of them
had been especially trainel for war.
Both the Germans and the French. "
said Richardson, believe in dogs as mes
sengers and ammunition carriers A cor
respondent, who was with the Boxer ex-
pcdition, remarked to me of the dogs that
accompanied the German artillery that II
always was delightful and interesting to
watch their movements. Once, when II
was necessary to shell a Chinese patrol,
the order was brought by a dog five
miles in a few minutes. But though such
incidents are picturesque, I personally
have little belief in a dog as a dependable
messenger in actual war where he is away
from his native environment, not to men,
ton the fact that in actual conflict regi-
ments become scattered and hopelessly
mixed"
Indian Princes in Comic Light
Under the title of "Our Fighting Rajah"
a prominent English magazine publishes
an article by one Saint Nihal Singh deal
ing with tho native princes of India, with
the intention, as the author phrases it.
"of showing what an asset the empire
has in the possession of these person
ages" Alas, however, owing to the evil
dent. lack CT sense of humnr on the par.
Of the writer. the effect of most of what
he relates is exactly the contrary the i'm
preston one gains being that, whatever