Julia Foster
Mr. Kinney
American Culture Honors
14 March 2014
Animal Soldiers
“Do you give [a] horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He pauses fiercely, rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing, he does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground. He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds” (Chenery 1).
Over many years the role of animals has gone unnoticed. Throughout the stories of war we have learned of the miraculous things soldiers have done, but nothing was mentioned about
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Dogs were one of the greatest alliances the U.S has joined with and this alliance would continue to grow and improve war efforts.
In World War II dogs were being used more than ever. Forces began using dogs as defense in hand-to-hand combat. “Cable laying dogs had sizable spools of telephone cable hitched to their backs. They 'd head out into the field so that soldiers on the front lines would be able to communicate with troops back at base camps or other central command units” (Rogak 52) Horses and camels may have vanished during World War II because of the mass expansion of technology, but dogs still remained. Patrolling with dogs lessened the danger of ambush and tended to boost the morale of soldiers.
Just like humans had recruitments animals also had to be recruited. Dogs had to have no health problems or diseases, and had to be around eighteen to thirty-six years old. The dogs must be alert, active, outgoing, and socializing towards people. The also had to have normal mobility at walking and running speeds. The coat had to be clean with no matted fur and they had to have normal dental hygiene with all four K-9 teeth present. The dogs could not be over aggressive do to risk of injury towards handlers and other dogs (Rogak 30).
Over the years stories have been shared about animal heroes. Stubby, was a short bulldog that served in World War I and was in more than seventeen battles. He was the first dog to
Last but definitely not least, military working dogs are another way that we can see animals working for us. Late one night on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Cairo, a military working dog, braced for landing in one of two Black Hawk helicopters. Cairo, a Belgian Malinois, a breed known for acute intelligence, sat alert, supremely alert to the mood of the soldiers traveling with him. This was a different mission as the helicopters they
In her book Reporting For Duty: True Stories of Wounded Veterans and Their Service Dogs, she shares the stories of veterans who use a service dog to help cope with different disabilities. Libby also covers topics such as the history and use of various types of service dogs at military facilities and the organizations and processes that help to produce a service dog for the veterans that need them. The cost of training a service dog can range from $8,000 to $70,000 depending on the training required and whether it comes from a shelter or breeding program (172). According to Libby, “the average cost of a guide dog, for example, runs about $60,000, whereas training for a therapy dog averages about 10,000” (189). While training a service dog can be expensive, several organizations supply service dogs to veterans at no cost through individual donations, fundraising, and other similar methods (174). The book uses pictures of dogs performing various jobs on almost every page and is well organized and detailed. This will be helpful for my essay because it covers how what factors determine costs for trained service dogs, who pays those costs, and the history of changes that have occurred in the military with service
Another animal who has always been a great use in war is the dog. He was used in WWII for many purposes, including
Although he had his time occupied by training his regiment for combat, Roosevelt preserved his captivation for animals, one characteristic which gave importance to his war account.
Criteria #1 All facts should be accurate. This book describes animals, both large and small, that had real life military involvement. The author is a known historical writer, however, there are no sources cited throughout the book, however, readers become lost in the text easily. The text is rich with facts and well written with great detail that it does not require readers to question the accuracy.
In one battle in japan, there was a dog that saved a us soldier, without even ever meeting him. The do drug him a mile back to his base to get medical attention when he was shot in the thigh. Dogs earned many medals over the years of the
International anti-war activist Mahatma Gandhi once stated that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” This quote holds a lot of truth in The Wars by Timothy Findley. The animals and people that are present in the book share a palpable bond. Robert and Rodwell, two young soldiers on the English army regard animals as one of their own companions. They do not see them on a lower level, but rather on the same level, believing they deserve equal love and kindness. In fact, certain traits they observe animals are the same traits they view themselves. Robert and Rodwell’s relationship with their surrounding animals are comparable in terms of their empathetic temperaments and the intelligence
Dogs are not just cute and fuzzy friends. Since it has been thousands of years that dogs have been trained to do things for humans, we can now count on dogs to do very specific jobs. For example, the article from the U.S. Department of Justice says, “Service animals are defined as dogs that are
Prior to WWI dogs were not considered as beloved pets. 2. Most dogs had important jobs, such as, hunting, guarding a property and providing personal protection. 3.
The allied forces are using many types of animals such as horses, dogs, and even pigeons for a variety of jobs. Around 20,000 dogs are being used by the Allies for purposes such as: alerting soldiers of any unknown presence found in the camp, detecting enemy scent when patrolling, finding any injured or dying soldiers, running vital messages to other platoons, and even as emotional support for the soldiers.
Dogs were used in World War II. At first the U.S. army only used fifty sled dogs working as military dogs in Alaska. But later in the war, they would hire more dogs.”Dogs guarded posts and supplies,carried messages and rescued downed planes” . Dogs were also used for finding enemies, detect mines and alert
In ancient Rome, Roman warriors marched into battle alongside fierce war dogs. Some hunting dogs of Ancient Egypt that were greatly prized got mummified alongside their owners. Before cutlery and napkins had come into the world, people would use them to wipe their greasy hands on after an evening meal, and afterward, when they went to bed, on a cold winter night, the owners would make the dogs lie on their feet to keep them warm. The Kings of Europe, to avoid poisoning, wouldn't eat until the dog ate some of the food on their plate. On Lewis and Clark's exploration of the new world, their trusty companion, a big black dog named Seaman, saved their lives by chasing away a buffalo that was trying to stampede their camp. In modern times, dogs are used in the armed forces to sniff out bombs on a war field, sniff out missing people from the rubble of a natural disaster, and there are also police dogs used to sniff out drugs, food, and even people. They are also used for companionship in families today. For paralyzed people, such as a blind person, is led by a service dog. In nursing homes, some dogs have been proven to be effective when comforting the sick or elderly. What other jobs do dogs have in our
During human history various types of animals have been used to help in war. For example, “War Elephants” started being utilized in the 4th century as part of the “Indian kings’ armies.” (War Culture – Animals of war. 2012) The idea of using
There are between 45 to 55 million dogs per household in America (American Humane Association 2012). Furthermore, according to a national survey, the majority of dog owners chose to get a dog for the companionship as the major reason for having a dog (American Animal Hospital Association, 2004). After all, dogs are nonjudgmental, give unconditional love, can be trusted with our most intimate feelings and emotions, and are highly intelligent. These dog characteristics can significantly enhance the lives of thousands of youth and adults, especially those with disabilities and/or those who live in continuing care facilities. There are approximately 20,000 service dogs in the U.S., which includes 10,000 guide dogs (American Humane Association 2012)
From the earliest days of man, creative uses for animals have arisen. Since the time of them Mongolian chief Timur and Sultan Muhmad Khan, many military uses have been created. These creative ideas are still created today, now modern day countries find many uses of animals such as monkeys, seals, dolphins, goats, elephants, and other animals in the military. Though the truth is right in front of our eyes, many people do not believe that these animals show up on the battlefield and in the oceans with humans defusing bombs and attacking enemies on the other lines.