New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-16
DOGS PLAYING
PROMINENT PART
IN WAR ZONE
Belgians Use Them 10
Drag Machine Guns and
Other Light Loads.
IN HARNESS FOR
WEEKS AT A TIME
French Discover That Wei.
Trained CANNES Make the
Best SentrieS.

Dogs are playing a greater par. /,
this war than IN any previous conflict.
and they are proving thenselru
worthy OF their reputation Of belns
mans best and most faithful friend
The Belgians, OF course, use dogs /.
drag machine guns alo other iigs,
loads.
To the British this seemed rsA,
curious az first, but the French, Be-.
gian and Dutch peasants long ago d.
covered that. within h's limits, n. DO,
IS a most efficient substitute Cor u.
horse or donkey. What his pig I, .
an lrishman, so IS his Cog % a Be-.
gisn.
During the days when the Ger-r
hosts swept through Belgium the dss,
performed prodigies Of ya'or and e..
durance. Many Of them were IN lar.
ness for weeks on end, and Ike ,h.i,
masters, were able 20 snatch only A.
occasional rest By the roadside.
During the retreat from Brussels (,
machine gun drawn By a pair % doU
was with the Belgian rear guard. Tin,
after time that gun was able 70 "a.
ing army. Once % was the last 20 lssv.
a stream, whore it had helped 20 dels7
the advancing Germans FOR nearly 4
quarter OF an hour The dogs, worn
out though they were, had Literally %
gsllop 10 avoid capture.
For hour after hour they dragged
the gun, without food. and with only
a few moments rest by ditch. Then
one OF the dogs was shot The oths.
struggled gamely on, with the help o,
his wearied masters.
Finally the rearguard, or what Va.
left of II, reached safety. Then a. las,
the dog dropped dead from exhaustion
and the soldiers gave IL a military
funeral.
The French have discovered thu. a
well trained dog makes the finest sen,
try in the world. Every one, Of course
knows that a dog can hear and sc.
things which escape the notice Of I
human being. Even when asleep q do,
is aware of the slightest movement
near him.
On one occasion. In the Argonne,
sentry and his dog occupied an al
4
trenches. The night was as black a
pitch. For some time the dog Jay q
his masters feet, apparently ASLEEP
Suddenly he jumped up, every sense o.
the alert. He stared through the black
ness of the German lines, and utters
a low growl.
The sentry did not need any turtle
hint, but returned 70 the Fren,i
trenches with the dog and warned hi
comrades. The Germans crept up 3
the foremost trench, confident ths
they would surprise the French an
capture it easily. Much to their owl
surprise, however, they were receive
with a yolley ct point blank range.
The unriyalled detective powers o
dogs have made them very useful i
another direction. Many a wOunGe
soldier has been saved from an ago
nized death by the sagac.ty Of del
which has found him In wooded o.
close country, after the Red eros
workers had failed
The Briton's love for dogs Is pro
verbal, and even Hun has a tende
place in his heart for a dog, as the FOL
lowing incident shows:
Some time ago the Germans I'd
vanced uncomfortably close 20 farn
house, the owner OF which very "a,
urally fed In his hurry, however, b
left his dog shut up in the house.
For days the British and Germsri
battled for the farmhouse The dog
OF course, was terrified. as well as ha
starved, and howled continuously.
At last q British Tommy, a ,ypics
North country lad, could stand It r
longer. He leaped out Of the trench
and, careless Of the German bullets
raced across TO the farmhouse. In
couple of minutes he came out again
Immediately the Germans opened teF
riic fire. Then they saw that he hs
gone for the dog. Instantly their CUR
were silenced until he had regaine
his own trenches.