7 Famous Military Dogs: Patriotic Pups to Know
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Dogs have held many very important jobs in society over the years. From policing and herding to disease detecting and acting as a service animal, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to what dogs can achieve with proper training and patience.
Perhaps one of the noblest jobs a dog can have is acting as a military dog. Throughout history, humans have trained dogs to be message carriers, guards, bomb sniffers, and scouts for war. Countless stories touch on the bravery and heroism of these military dogs from World War I to recent wars like those in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Let’s take a closer look at the seven most famous military dogs.
The 7 Most Famous Military Dogs
1. Sergeant Stubby (1916–1926)
Stubby, a Boston Terrier, was originally found at Yale University wandering around without an owner. The members of his soon-to-be unit were training at the campus, and Stubby took a liking to watching them as they drilled, taking a special liking to Corporal James Conroy. Conroy snuck Stubby onto the troop ship, and the rest is history.
Stubby served for 18 months and was on the battlefront for 17 battles. He first entered combat in February of 1918, and in April of that year, he suffered a wound on his front leg from a hand grenade thrown by the Germans. He recovered quickly and was sent back to the battleground. Also, during his first year in the war, he was injured by mustard gas. When he recovered from this injury, he returned to the war but had a specially designed mask to protect him from any further mustard gas attacks.
Stubby learned how to warn his unit of incoming mustard gas attacks, find hurt soldiers, and alert his unit when he sensed trouble was on the way. He captured a German spy singlehandedly, which actually was the catalyst for getting him promoted to Sergeant.
2. Zanjeer (1992–2000)
Zanjeer was a Labrador Retriever who acted as a detective alongside the Mumbai police in India. He joined the force in December of 1992 before he even reached one year old. Zanjeer played a big part during the 1993 Mumbai bombings, where he was put to work detecting explosives and weapons. He also was able to avert three further attacks in Bombay, Mumba, and Thane during this time.
Outside of his service during the Mumbai bombings, Zanjeer also recovered over 800 different styles of bombs and detonators, including country-made bombs, petrol bombs, and military bombs.
3. Smoky (1943–1957)
Smoky was a Yorkshire Terrier who famously served during WWI. She may have only been four pounds, but she was incredibly resilient, surviving 150 air raids, 12 combat missions, and a typhoon during her time in service.
It was her small size that led to Smoky’s greatest accomplishment. Military engineers needed to build an airbase for Allied warplanes but came across a problem as they needed to find a way to run telegraph wire through a very small (8-inches in diameter) and very long (70 feet) pipe. This task was made more difficult by the fact that soil had filled the pipe. If it weren’t for Smoky being able to fit through the pipe herself, the engineers would have had to spend three days digging and simultaneously exposing themselves to bombings.
4. Chips (1940–1946)
Chips was a German Shepherd/Collie-/Husky mix that trained as a sentry dog for the U.S. Army. Chips was donated by his owner for war duty and was sent to training in 1942. He worked alongside the 3rd Infantry Division and, though he had many heroic acts on the battlefields, his two most famous acts actually happened on the same day.
When he and his unit were in Sicily, they found themselves stuck on the beach as there was a machine gun team in a pillbox taking aim at them. Chips broke free from his handler and rushed the pillbox, attacking the crew members operating the machine guns and forcing them out to surrender to the U.S. troops. Later that night, Chips alerted his handler of an infiltration attempt which then led to the capture of ten Italian soldiers.
Chips is the most decorated war dog from World War II, having received awards such as the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Service Cross. Unfortunately, these awards were later repealed as a policy had been put into place preventing any official commendation of animals. Chips was later posthumously awarded the PDSA Dicken Medal (2018) and the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery (2019).
5. Kaiser (Unknown–1966)
Kaiser was a German Shepherd who served in the Vietnam War. Kaiser first met his handler, Marine Lance Corporal Alfredo Salazar in 1965. They trained together with the army’s 26th Scout Dog Platoon and participated in over 30 combat patrols and 12 major operations in their time together.
In 1966, Kaiser and Salazar joined a search-and-destroy mission. As they were about to break through heavy brush, they were ambushed by enemy automatic fire and grenades. Kaiser was hit immediately and, unfortunately, became the first war dog to be killed in action during the Vietnam War.
6. Nemo (Unknown to 1972)
Nemo was a German Shepherd who served during the Vietnam War in the U.S. Air Force.
One night Nemo was on guard duty with his handler (Airman 2nd Class Bob Thorneburg) near their airbase when Nemo alerted Thorneburg of incoming enemies. Thanks to Nemo’s foresight, the pair were able to put up a valiant fight against enemy forces, though they both had injuries from the battle.
Thorneburg’s injuries were so severe that he fell unconscious, but Nemo climbed atop his body to protect him from further harm despite being injured himself. Nemo wound up losing an eye and getting a gunshot wound to his face that evening.
Nemo was so protective of his handler that the veterinarian had to convince him to stand down so the doctors could come in to provide medical attention to his handler.
7. Lucca (2003–2018)
Lucca was a German Shepherd Belgian Malinois cross who was in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years. She was born in the Netherlands and was brought to Israel alongside the Israel Defense Forces where she trained for six months with an American unit. She was then flown to Arizona to train in an environment similar to what she would one day find in Iraq.
Lucca was trained to detect explosives and ammunition and was deployed to Iraq two times and once to Afghanistan. She was able to work off-leash at long distances from her handler in a variety of dangerous situations.
Lucca played a part in more than 400 missions, and not a single human fatality occurred on her watch. She was injured in 2012 while patrolling in Afghanistan when she sniffed out a 30-pound Improvised Explosive Device (IED), and another IED detonated under her. Her left leg had to be amputated as a result of these injuries.
Final Thoughts
Dogs are more than just a man’s best friend. Time and time again, they’ve proved their heroism, bravery, and fearlessness in the face of danger. Their service doesn’t stop on the battlefield, either. Many are trained to act as service dogs for veterans and first responders who have disabilities.
Check out our blog on the 15 best military dog breeds to continue learning about military pups.
Featured Image Credit: Don Patterson, Pixabay
