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THE DOGS OF WAR. Disciplined Armies of Ours Likely to be a Feeatere of the Pending Europeen wregele The nations of Europe, in their schemes of universal armament, are reaching the end of their human resources. From the Baltic to the Mediterranese all men must now bear arms But the Governmeanta, in their cece for the meane of conquest and of de fense, require more combatanta. Already various animals have been drafted into the service. The horse, as in all former times, ee battice a The dove, that ym peace, ia now taught to be the mesenger of war. And at last the dog, long an i and s partisan warrior, being brought by the German spirit of or ganization within the lines of regular mili tary service. The French are taking alarm at this, and a thick pamphlet, with illastre ee eee i up to show that they too shoulist dogs in their regiments. The idea of dogs taking part in war is tois new one. It is related that the citi zens of Corinth garrisoned their citadel with them, and kept an outpost of fifty on the seashore. These latter being attacked were all SLAUGHTERED BRAVELY FIGHTING, with the necessary exception of one, who ran off with his tail between his legs to the Acropolia, roused the city, and received a silver collar and had a monument erect ed to him in consequence. Livy tells us that when the Gauls attaked the Roman Capitol they eluded the lance of the dogs on guard, but that the faithful geese awoke the garrison. Will not the Prussian military staff find means to enlist those noble birds for sentinel duty ? Coming down to modern times, we find the clebrated dog Moustache etc. in the wara of Napoleon. At Alexedria he sand the French army from being surprised by the Arabs. As a reward he was given every day the rations of a grenadier, and the regimental barber was ordered to clip and comb him once a week. In spite of this generous diet, which would have taken all the fight out of a less noble animal, in spite also of a wound which lamed him, Moustache entered into single COMBAT WITH AN AUSTRIAN MASTIFF at Marengo, and was about to throttle him when a bullet put as end to the fight (the bg fight we mean not Marengo) by stretch ig his enemy on the ground. At Auster Ltz Moustache put the crown on his reputa tion by defending ot a time the standard bearer of his regiment, and when the ensign had fallen, by standing over the flag him self, although his paw was broken in the fight, wed finally hringing the colors off the field. For this ditinguished service he re ceived from Mashal Lannes a medal tied with a red ribbo. The gallant moustache was but a volun teer. The mi isty doge of to day are regu lars. They are dssigned two to a company and taught the work of sentinels, patrols and orderlies. They are expected to ac company the new on picket duty at night and to warn tem by growls and to move ments of the body of the approach of a hostile party) They are to beat up the ‘mshes and ogered places on the front and flanks of a mrching column, and thus to discover an unbushed enemy. It is believed that they can be taught to distinguish foe from friend. They will be trn to carry written disptches attached to their collars from one par of the regiment to another, in which servic they can easily cross small rivers or swanpy grounds. The breed used in Prussia is the Pome ranian wolfey. The French writer recom mends the employment in Government SERVICE OF THE NUMEROUS DOCS who are now engaged in smuggling opera tions on the Belgian hunter. These he reckon at the improbable number of 100,000 .They are taught to slip across the border by night with packages of lace, tobacco, or coffee. But few of them are taken, although the Custon House officers on their part, have dogs trained to act for the Government. The smuggling dogs travel in packs, accompanied and guarded by a few especially intelligent sanimals, who carry po baggage, but who their fellows and scout for them.ose smugg lers are mongrels, in which the herd dog strain predominates. It is that in a few generations, with judicious cross breeding they will become thoroughly fitted to perform military duties. Experiments should, however, be tried with dogs of other . What is likely to be the effect on the canine race in general of this compulsory military service? We have every reason to believe that dogs will take kindly to the soldier's life. The nation of the cave should get ite back up betimes. The attack of a disciplined army of curs will be far more formidane than the guerilla warfare to which it has hitherto been exposed. Nay, should not proud man himself hesitate thus to put the means of conquest in the paws of his ancient servant *
Newspaper Details
The Northwest Vindicator And Rapid City Standard
Rapid City, Manitoba, CA
Thu, Mar 22, 1888
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Camille C.
USA 20 Jul 2025
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