The Dog That Served 17 Battles In WW1
Stubby was the hero dog of the United States and the only dog in the world to be awarded the rank of sergeant. It is not without reason why this Pit Bull type mongrel can get such a high award. He has done a lot for the United States in various wars. Who is this sergeant and what were his accomplishments?
Early life
No one knows when and where he was born. According to local residents, Stubby was first seen in 1917 starving and cold in New Haven, Connecticut.
One day, fate took him to a parade that was being held at Yale University where soldiers from the 26th Infantry Division were training in preparation for the First World War. One of the men, a 25-year-old private named Robert Conroy, took a shining to the young dog and began to take care of him, naming him ‘Stubby’ for his stature and tail.
When about to go to war, Conroy could not bear to leave Stubby alone. He felt that his friendship with the animal could not be broken just like that. So he smuggled the dog on to the ship that took him to the battlefield in France. And from that moment on, Stubby’s story began.
Military service
Stubby’s start on the battlefield was on February 5, 1918. In April of the same year, he had to be treated for explosive wounds from a grenade thrown by German troops. He also had to suffer poisoning from mustard gas (a type of poisonous gas) until he almost died and which required medical treatment. After recovering, he returned wearing a mask specially designed to protect him from poison gas.
Thanks to his keen sense of smell and hearing, Stubby was able to alert American soldiers before an attack occurred. The Times newspaper reported that, one morning, when most of the soldiers were fast asleep, they were unexpectedly attacked by poison gas. Stubby, who sniffed it first, then warned the soldiers by barking and biting them. The disaster was prevented.
In addition, he often managed to locate soldiers who had been wounded by gunshot wounds or…
