Heroic Dogs: From A German Shepherd To A Yorkshire Terrier

Loyalty is perhaps the most beautiful trait of dogs. There are a lot of stories about dogs risking their lives to defend, protect, and save humans. This trait was taken to a whole new level with these war dogs.

1. Sergeant Stubby

Sgt. Stubby is probably the most famous World War I American dog. His bravery is incredible. A German spy was once caught by him while mapping Allied positions. In February 1918, a poison gas attack hit Stubby’s battalion. Stubby survived. Following the attack, his nose became sensitive and could detect gas attacks. For the next attack, he saved the soldier’s lives by sniffing out the smell of gas early.

Stubby was also an expert in tracking wounded as well as deceased soldiers. At one time, he got injured by a German grenade’s shrapnel. When Stubby got back from the wars, he became a hero and was greeted by three presidents, led parades, and became Georgetown University’s official mascot.

2. Treo

Treo was a British black-lab from the British military. His mission was sniffing bombs. With his bravery, Treo was awarded the most prestigious military honor for animals of the UK. Treo also accepted the Dickin Medal after his roadside bombs detecting and saving people’s lives.

3. Lucca

A German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, Lucca, spent six years in the US Marine Corps. Lucca was a specially trained dog for explosive detecting. Luca could find hidden and buried IEDs and explosives off-leash. During her working time, 400 missions were completed and countless lives were saved.

On her second tour in 2012 in Afghanistan, she also saved several Marines’ lives. But that came with a cost. After successfully finding a buried explosive, she began searching for a second one. Lucca took the explosion after an IED went off. Lucca’s front leg was severely injured, leading to an amputation. According to her handler-Rodriguez, that did not affect Lucca as she wanted to immediately start walking again.

For her bravery, Lucca received the PDSA’s Dickin Medal. A fellow Marine unofficially granted her a Purple Heart.

4. Smoky

When it comes to dedicating to your nation and saving people’s lives, size doesn’t matter. At least for Smoky. Smoky was a Yorkshire terrier whose weight was just 4 pounds. An American soldier called Bill Wynne found and purchased her in the New Guinea jungle. During World War II, she received honors for her bravery after her warning to Wynne that there was incoming fire.

5. Rags

Rags was another amazing hero dog from World War I. A Cain Terrier mix, he was found in Paris by Pvt. James Donovan. Rags came with Donovan back to his division and became a carrier dog whose mission was to deliver messages to Allied troops over dangerous battlefields. During a gas attack, both Donovan and Rags got seriously injured. Because of complications, Donovan died later on. However, Rags made it and became famous in the country. Rags received the lieutenant colonel rank. After he died, his funeral was a military funeral.

6. Chips

Chips, the famous American K9 serving in WWII. Chips was a mix of German Shepherd, Husky, and Collie. During his working time, he had served in North Africa, Italy, Sicily, Germany and France. During the 1943 Sicily invasion, a machine gun fire pinned both Chips and his handler down. Chips broke free, attacking the enemies, forcing them to surrender. Chips received the Silver Star as well as the Purple Heart. But these awards were later revoked it wasn’t possible for dogs to receive those awards at that time.

7. Sarbi

Sarbi, a black lab, was the second Australian animal, that received a purple cross from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the most honored animal bravery award.

In September 2008, Sarbi was a bomb-detecting dog in a battle against the Taliban militants. In the attack, Sarbi’s handler, along with eight other soldiers, was wounded. Serbi went missing. One year later, she was discovered at a remote northeastern Uruzgan patrol base.

8. Sallie

A brindle Staffordshire Terrier, Sallie, was deployed as the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry’s mascot during the Civil War.

The soldiers raised Sallie and she joined them in battles. At Gettysburg, Sallie disappeared. Three days later, she was founded guarding the wounded and the dead. At the Hatcher’s Run Battle, Sallie was killed. A monument of her was built in Gettysburg in 1890 by the surviving veterans.

9. Judy

Judy was an English Pointer saved from a prisoner-of-war camp by Frank Williams. Her bravery showed through many events, from surviving a torpedoed ship, finding fresh water for soldiers, becoming a prisoner of war for two times, surviving another torpedo attack, rescuing soldiers when their ship sank, attacking prison guards at the POWs, fighting tigers and alligators.

In 1945, Judy and her handler-Williams got out of the camp. Returning home, for her bravery, she was granted the Dickin Medal. Judy and Williams then became inseparable.

10. Gander

During WWII, Gander belonged to the Royal Rifles of Canada. The unit’s mission was to defend Hong Kong Island from the attacks of the Japanese.

Gander saved the lives of the wounded Canadian soldiers by protecting them from a troop of Japanese soldiers.

On December 19, 1942, during the Hong Kong Island Battle of Lye Mun, Gander carried away a grenade landing next to the soldiers. The explosion instantly killed him.

On October 27, 2000, Gander received the Dickin Medal for his act of courage.