Ambulance Dogs in War.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 11

Ambulance Dogs in War.

At Farnborough, England, recently, during the course'; of vohm-. tccr battalion training, a demonstra- 1 tion was given of tho • utility of dogs for ambulanco work." .' Tho dogs aro used as .an adjuiict? of a field ambulance, being employed to seek out tho wounded lying on a modern battlefield. ■ So far,' England is 0110 of the countries which has not adopted this method of rendering'assistance 011 tho field. :' Russia and Japan . both used dogs' with great success in the campaign in Manchuria, and tho German and French armies have carricd tho idea to great lengths, even training dogs to carry despatches, and to. take up supplies of ammunition and water to tho firing line.' Major H. Richardson, the trainer of the dogs', is atI taohwl to the London Coirpanics, and it is in connection with tho annual training of this unit at.Aldershot that tho dogs aro being used. Tho animals are crossbred ill order to obtain the highost' power' by scent with tho greatest intelligence; The results of the demonstrations wore astonishing.. Men were sent out from camp, unknown to. tho dogs, and hidden 111 tronches, kloofs, ravines, thickets', and woods', 'id fact, in such out of tho way places as wounded men would: ■ crawl 'to in order to bo out of danger. ,Tho dogs were then laid on, and, working rapidly to and fro over tho' country, discovored the men ono after the other, giving voico' to a deep bay as they made a discovery. This brought tho ambulanco parties to tho assistance of the wounded mon. Tho dogs are trained to work ai night equally well, and in this their aid ' is oven of greater valno, for it is..impossible to search ground thoroughly with the. aid of lanterns. A special , harness and load equipment is used with tho dogs for night work. Quito:, recently''tho dogs gave a demonstration in Ken-' sington. Gardons, at which Sir Frederick. Troves was present,.'aiid'ho. was', deeply impressed, with' "their value,' giving it as his opinion that such ai: adjunct to the medical* se.rvico in tho field must prove of tho-utmost/im-. portance. It is understood that .tho.' War Office has the subjcct under consideration. '