The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-04
WAR AND DOGS
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
By Frederic j. Haskin. Director.
Washington, ID. c.

has recently attracted an amount OF |
attention among dog fanciers and
some other people which is rather |
disproportionate to the Importance at
tached to the matter by the war de-
partment.
Senator Brady of Idaho is the chief |
exponent in congress of the idea that |
our fighting forces should be provided |
with dogs, as are those of most of the |
other belligerents. He wrote to the |
war department requesting that |
model be drafted of bill which |
would provide for the acceptance by |
the government of dogs offered by
American citizens for use in war. The |
reply stated that no legislation re-
garding dogs was necessary as the
war department had full authority to
organize any auxiliary units needed
for the army. Dogs will be provided
for the lighting forces in France pro
vided General Pershing desires the as
sistance of dogs
Hence the military future of the
American dog seems to be entirely in
the hands of General Pershing but
this has not abated the activities of
those who are interested II the sub
! 1ect in this country. Senator Brady
has introduced a bill which provides
a sum for the purchase Of dogs to be
used in the army. Breeders of various
kinds of dogs are urging the claims
| of their favorites. A strong effort
| has been made to bring to the atten-
| ton of the government the merits of
the German sheep dog, which is large
| ly used in Germany for police and
military work. This m 1vement Isl
| strongly opposed in some quarters
| apparently on the ground that many
] of these dogs are bred AMI trained by
Germans. 1t is alleged that during
| the RusSo-JapaneSe war, the German
| government kindly furnished Russia
with a quota of military dogs, to-
| gether with trainers, and that these
| trainers were really military observ-
ers who obtained much information
that has been of use to Germany in
the present war.
The AiredaIe Is War Dog.
The Airedale terrier, which has be-
| come very popular dog in this coun-
| try during the past few years, is put
forward by many dog fanciers as the
best variety available in numbers for
is cited the fact that the Germans use
about as many Airedales as they do
| sheep dogs for military work. Ger
| many is now recruiting dogs for her
army, much Senator Brady would
| have them recruited in this country.
An advertisement inserted in a gov
eminent controlled German paper
asks owners of dogs to donate them
free to the government The dogs
must be from one to four years old,
Airedales. sheep dogs, fox terriers or
mongrels of these breeds. They are
to be used as watchdogs for fighting
| forces in the field and will make pos
latter's military duties" Those that
survive are to be returned to their
owners free of cost
The claims of all fanciers of thoro-
bred dogs are given a rude shock
by a student of animal psychology at
| f0 hnSnital
ST. Elizabeth's, who says that in his
opinion common street ours will be
found superior to any thorobred
variety for military work. He says
that the poundmasters in great cities
can supply the government with all
the dogs it needs at very low cost.
| He further urges that number of
camps be Immediately established for
the purpose of training dogs for the
army. He states that in the United
States there are more men skilled in
animal psychology than in any other
| country in the world, and he believes
that in addition to the training of the
dogs, valuable research and expert
ment bearing upon the use of animals
in war could thus be made. He would
5 have the training stations located
, chiefly at several great universities
where these animal psychologists are
employed, and would have regular
l army men to cooperate in the work
= The Quick-Witted Dogs of Town.
D His somewhat astonishing claim
that street ours would make the best
military dogs he supports by the state
" ment that these dogs have developed
their wits in trying to get a living
= while thorobreds are bred for certain
p physical qualities that have nothing tt
| do with intelligence.
About ten thousand dogs are nov
in use on the battlefields of Europe
e Besides the Red Cross dogs that seel
o. out the wounded and help them, dog
Z. are used for sentry work and scout
ing where their keen noses often de
8 tect enemies concealed from human
: eyes. The British have just taken VI
n the use of dogs, it is reported. II
: the Boer war they found that tn
II Beers had a considerable advantage
= in their dogs. especially in guarding
s. prisoners. Germany is now usinl
them extensively for that purpose, toe
Quite aside from his military ca
. reer, the war is having an importan
l. effect upon the dog, not all for hi
e immediate good. In all of the bel
X ligerent countries the keeping of dog
has been discouraged because of tn
u amount of food they consume, and tn
: English government has just put
e stop for the period of the war to tn
d breeding of pedigreed dogs.
This is a momentous step to b
taken in England. which is the great
n est dog breeding country in the WORLD
If One of the first effects has been tn
10 shipment of great numbers of thoro
bred dogs to the United States. .
large percentage of the best Englis
n bulldogs in the world are now in thi
lr country.
"a The Destruction of Ours.
=, In general. the effect of the war ha
been in other countries and doubles
will be in this country to discourag
ID the breeding of useless dogs and pre-
- mote the destruction of ours. The ad
vantages of the latter effect will b
{ disputed by no one. The toy dog, o
A. the other hand. is extremely popula
l. in America, and opinion concernin
him is very sharply divided. Owner
n re IL