WITH THE BLUE CROSS AT THE FRONT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 200, 13 May 1918, Page 8

WITH THE BLUE CROSS AT THE FRONT

CARE OF THE ARMY'S ANIMALS ,

FAITHFUL ALLIES

Ln?ffnf f hol ' Ses ar6 playi "f ™ im " l>ol tant part among our Allies at the •trout, where they are showing conspiculT CoU fi' ,{ V e n " d deTO «0"- 'Ae cavalry lorsß, that picturesque factor in the i battles ot tho past, has had little share in the honours of the world-war until called upon recently to aid in covering Hμ Italian retreat on the Isouno. But in a more humble capacity this faithful animal has been bearing its portion of the burdens of war; for not ull the labour ol dragging the supplies of munitions and iood to the front trenches has been poriornicd by tho motor truck. And tho dog ever the faithful friend of man, - tas frequently been of intelligent aid on the battlefields. And these animal allies suiter as well as the men from the shellnre, lor to them also comes the deathshot of the maiming wound. And so they, too, have their sympathetic nnd tender nurses. In America the Ked Star stands for the same tiling to the aniinala that'the Ked Cross docs to man. In imnco these friends of the suffering iimmuls are designaied by the Bhto Cross, lho society has established American headquarters in JCow York, where Mrs. liiiphistono Maitlaud acts as secretary, ! and sho declares enthusiastically, that the ! war dogs' devotion is equal to that of the bravest warrior in tiio trenches. I

The Blue Cross Dog, Iu a description of the work of tho animals at the front, Mrs. i!aitland says in the Kow York "Times": Many a Blue Cross dog has his favourite master in tho regiment, and when this innster-coinrude is reported. missing, when he fails to return/to his place in the trenches or behind the lines, the grief of his favourite dog is at once apparent. I'requently it is shown by the (log's fasting, melancholy, and oven sulkiuess. Me may go «bout his duties stoically searching out the wounded on the ''battlefield, but his eyes are always eagerly looking among tho dead and. dying lor tho man he loves—the man who will never come back, the man he will never forget. All the Allies except England ore using dogs ,m tho battlefields. Germany aUo usos thorn. The mortality among the animals is great. To the cavalry officers and men nothing is so horrible as the agony of tho dogs and horses as tha.v wait s;i laa Mllli-riddr; or by roadsides for the hand that will give them either aid or merciful dispatch from their sufferings. "" 'J'he knowledge of the importance of horses and doj-s in war and of their need for human help was responsible for the organisation of the Blue Cross in 1912. I The society wns at once'recognised by! the I'reucli Minister of War. Later,'; sole authority was given to this organ- ; isiition to cere for' the ' war-dogs and ; horses in the kennds and hospitals of i France. Tho society was headed by i somo of the most prominent nion and i women in England, with Lady Smiihr Dorrien as 'head of the fund. The work lias coijtiuued, and much is being done now by the society all along the Western front, t Russia enros for her own dogs, but Italy has recently onlisted tho'"aeryices of tho Blue Cross. Great work' is being dono in Salonika, to which we recently sent a magnificent horso-ambu-lancc. Besides this, wo have been asked lo work with tho American Expeditionary Force in Franco. Many persons suppose thnt the motor-truck hna entirely superseded the horse for conveying supplies and food to the soldiers on the field and in tho trenohos, but that is not true. Trucks cannot jo where horses qaii, so Tommy and poilu eat food brought to them by horses, and American soldiers may soon do likewise.

Types of War Dons. ' 'J'ho much-<lespiswl mongrel dog has couio into its own on tho baillefront, and displays more onergy .arid riptitiido rtu , . the work than its pedigreed .companions. Tho active fox terriers find quite enough to do lo keep the trenches free from rats, an occupation in which they Uko great pleasure. They also prove cheerful companions for the tired soldiers. Sheep dogs, of which breed there are innny at the front,' are chiefly used for drawing small carts und machine-guns. The St. Bernard naturally proves a high type of. war dog, while among; the oper breeds that are to be found doing their "bit ,, are mastiffs, collies, bulldnes. all eon* of terriers, and dogs from Alaska. These war recruits are not admitted to service in n haphazard manner, but must undergo a period of intensive training. Mrs. Jiaitland says:— .

The examination of the dogs that are recruited is made by trained specialists of the Blue Cross. The animals arc tested as to health, endurance, ami iii- . lelligence. None but healthy, intelligent, quick, and even-tempered doga are admitted into service. They are then iaken to training-stations, where for months they undergo severe discipline and training. Thoy are taught to love their friends, the Allies, and to know and hnte a German tjiiform; to act as dispatchcarriers, sentinels, prison and'munitionguards, as convoys of small vehicles, and to work with the Sanitary Uorps and first-aid units. Tho dogs art assigned to the branch of the service to which they are best adapted: These animals, after finishing their course in training, usually have absolutely no fear on tho battlefields. They are • nnid and eager workers. Cases of cowardice and lack of tniiitworlhi'npss aro as rare, if not rarer, among them than nmoiig men. Among the do;js to undergo eperation and treatment in one cf our hospitals recently was a courier dog, which iho.ijjh wounded several times, and with a jawbone broken by shrapnel while it was conveying 'the message, did not slacken pace . until faint from pain and loss of blood.

The dogs with tho Ambulance Corps go upon the field in the thickest of fights and seek out the-wounded. They rarely mistake a dead man for a wounded one. On reaching a wounded .man the dog picks up the man's hat or mitten, gnaws off a button or sumo other means of identification, and hurries to the stretcher-bearers, whom ho conducts to the founded man. In this work the dogs are absolutely indispensable. Dogs have been known to shield wounded men with their own bodies and so save the Uvea of the soldiers at the loss of their own. Some of the ambulance dogs tiro taught to call the ambulance to the wounded man by a prearranged ory. All the ambulance dogs carry about-their necks a flask and a package of. rough dressings ■for first aid. Often they etaud by the thirsty, dying 6oldier to give him a last drink of water.

The war dog is no slacker. He knows whether he .is slightly wounded or mortally hrnrt, and the dog that is t nly slightly hurt will not Icavo the Held, but continues his work until a Blue Cross officer insists that he go to the hospital. And no sooner is he well than he is eager to return to his dangerous duties. In the Bluo Cross hospitals at tho front there are dogs suffering from broken legs, effects of gas, llyuidfiro burns, deafness, and shell-shock. And there are also patients who are afflicted with nervous diseases, insomnia, pneumonia, bronchitis, und various other respiratory troubles. Tho sufferers receive every possible kindness and attention from capable specialists who have volunteered their services. The Horsos, Of tho horses Mrs, Mmtland says: Jt is almost needless to speak «f the part horses liavi> in war. They aro taken from between the shafts of family carriages, from peaceful pastures, (iiiiet village greens, from the plough, the Teii.])er, and tho wagon, to ]x> sent to the battlefields to help, tight for our countries. There is no animal thut bears suffering '.more nobly and uncomplainingly. Tho work of tho Blue Cross is the same for the horses of all the Allies. Thero aro twelyo base hospitals in France, together with supply depots and branch hospitals, from which the work is carried on. These have ail ]x»n installed under tho authority of the French Minister of War. Talented veterinarians make up an ofiicient stalf. t "When a wounded horse ?s brought to the hospital ho first gets a drink of water. He is then taken to tho stable, whwo a good straw bed and good food await him. Some of tho horses are too tired to cat, so they tink on the straw and foil into a stupor. Unless imme- ,

diate treatment is necessary they are not disturbed during this rest. But on the following iluy ail the horeps are washed rnd their wounds cleaned, inspected, and treated. Tho l;;idly wounded are taken to the hospital, imd after operation they are sent to Ihe Blue Cross pastures for recuperation and convalescence.