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STUBBY THE HEROIC DOG - WORLD WAR I
Read paragraph 1 and write at least two comments about why Stubby was so useful to soldiers in the war :
Paragraph 1
Having survived gas attacks, he became very sensitive to the smell of gas, and with his sensitive dog nose, was able to detect gas much earlier than his human comrades and alert them in time. His acute doggy hearing, allowed him the advantage of hearing even the quietest sounds from advancing enemy and so Stubby proved excellent at silently alerting his comrades when he could hear the enemy was near. His major triumph was hearing a German spy who had tried to sneak into Conroy's camp during the dead of night. The loyal and diligent Stubby managed to grab the intruder's leg and immobilize him until Conroy and other troops came to investigate and imprison the German. He also asserted himself as a 'mercy' dog, scanning the battle fields for injured soldiers and comforting them whilst they lay dying or alerting paramedics to the wounded.
Read paragraph 2
Why did Stubby return home a hero?
Paragraph 2
Stubby was named a hero, to the point where, after the liberation of Chateau Thierry, the women of the town made him a special chamois blanket, for which his many medals and service chevrons were displayed. Stubby returned home a hero and became somewhat a celebrity in the USA. He received more medals than any other soldier dog and even outranked his owner. Stubby was even awarded lifetime membership of the American Legion and participated in every march and convention until his death in 1926, all the while, remaining in the care of Corporal Robert Conroy. Conroy himself enrolled at Georgetown University to study law. Such was the country's pride in Stubby that on his death in 1926, the New York Times submitted an obituary which read,
'On Feb. 5, 1918, he entered the front lines of the
Chemin des Dames sector, north of Soissons, where he was under fire night and
day for more than a month. The noise and strain that shattered the nerves of
many of his comrades did not impair Stubby's spirits. Not because he was
unconscious of danger. His angry howl while a battle raged and his mad canter
from one part of the lines to another indicated realisation. But he seemed to
know that the greatest service he could render was comfort and cheerfulness.'
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