The Cordova daily times., 1915-01-22
DOCS HUNT FOR WOUNDED IN
 FIELD

respondence of the Associated Press) The records of the German Red Cros Cross department show that SC far, after a record of nearly four month of warfare, not a single wound ed man has been overlooked on a battlefield searched by Red Cross Dogs" As a result of this the term mans best friend" which is often applied to dogs, has real significance 10 the German soldier today. Many wounded soldier, French, German and English alike, has to thank one of these dogs for the preservation of his life. Had 1t not been that the dog had found him and summoned as- sistance he might have died.
 1 It has been shown that all breeds of dogs may be trained for this pur- pose. The majority employed by the German Red Cross are Dobermanns, German Shepherds. Rottweilers and Airedale Terriers. There are repre- sentatives of other canine families. however, and not a few would be classed as "curs." In fact, some of the mixed breeds have distinguished themselves for the rapidity with which they have learned their business. A breed known in Belgium as police dogs" has also done we'll
 Many Red Cross dogs had been trained by the German army before the war broke out. In this case training had arted when the dog was about six months old. For about six months after the dog has been taken iR hand he is taught no more than to obey his master implicitly. After that his professional" educa. tion begins. Since the outbreak of the war it has been necessary to train dogs in shorter period, and in many cases this has been done with the aid of another dog, who. in addition to being an expert Red Cross worker. had also the quality of not being mis- led by his apprentices. When a dog is trained in this manner he is paired with veteran, and soon begins to un- derstand what is expected of him. Nevertheless the schooling of the an- imal requires much attention on the part of the master.
 The dogs are trained under a sys- tenn in which patience and kind treat ment are the principal clements. Again and again the master of the dog will take the animal to a man who similates being wounded, or who. nowadays, actually Is slightly wound ed.
 Whether or not the scent helps the animal to find the wounded is an un- answered question. It is believed that such is the case, but in training the dog this is not taken into consid. eration. The dog Is taught to search the field by inspecting every bush and ditch.
 The dogs are brought on the ground by man from the Red Cross com pany, who. as a rule, has from two tc four of them on a leash. When the man considers the field safe for tho dogs he turns them loose with an ap propriate command, and then attends to such wounded as he can find him self
 After a while the dogu return {, report. The manner in which tn, dogs do this depends upon their owr traits. So far it has been found yer, difficult to prevent the dogs from bark ing when he has found a wounded man and instead teach signal tha would indicate that he had tound one This is hardly needed, however. A, rule the dog returns to his maste with sauntering gait and show. neither excitement or eagerness tt leave again. His action is differen when his search has been successful In that case the dog generally come , tearing across the field, circles abou his master and runs back and fortl in the direction of where the mal has been found The Red Cros man then follows the dog. gives tn, wounded man first aid. and makes al rangements for his removal to tn