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War Dog Heroes: True Stories of Dog Courage in Wartime
A compilation of stories of courage and friendship celebrates the wartime accomplishments of such canine heroes as Stubby, who captures a German spy during World War I, and Andy, who saved troops from a Japanes ambush during World War II
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Jeannette Sanderson
28 books1 followerJeannette Sanderson has been writing and telling stories since she was a child. The author and her husband moved to Peekskill more than 30 years ago and raised their children here. Jeannette loves Peekskill and delights in meeting and writing about the people who make this city special for the Peekskill Herald.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2012
I took this out from the library to read with Julia. Anything animal-related is interesting to her and she's been interested in the subject of war dogs ever since she first heard of them. We took this and another, similar book out and saved this for last. Obviously it's not the easiest subject to read about so after finished the first one I decided Julia should wait to read more for the moment. My OCD just wouldn't allow me to return it without reading it so.... I did. Yesterday afternoon. It's easily written and under 100 pages so it's definitely fast. But if you're an animal lover it will move you. I think for the age group this is directed towards it's one of the best. Sanderson definitely gives good background, from which country first used dogs in war (Germany) to their job today (many, many), it's covered. She gives general information as well as personal stories an there are even a few photos included.
If you've read about war dogs before picking this up you'll find some things you remember. I doubt anyone could read a book on war dogs, adult or child, without learning about Stubby. He might be the most well known of all. (Side-note - there is a photo of Stubby included that may not bother everyone but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want my daughter to see.) It's not graphic but it is a photo of Stubby's stuffed body, wearing the decorated coat he wore on duty, that was then displayed at the Smithsonian. I personally think this is disgusting. I'm aware it's a body, a shell if you will, and that Stubby was long gone but it still bothers me. We can remember Stubby without this gruesomeness. IMO.
If you've done any reading you've probably heard of Caesar and seen the pictures of him being carried on a hastily put together stretcher by his fellow soldiers. The famous picture of Eisenhower meeting (and being bit on the hand by) Chips is here. So is well known picture of soldiers and their devil-dogs exiting a boat onto a beach in a run. Nemo and Andy are also written about, both dogs I've read about before and who I would say are well known at the very least.
This isn't easy reading, not even for an adult who has seen all sorts of violence, abuse and horror. Even if the dog you're reading about lived through the battle it's still emotional reading about a dog literally risking his or her life to protect their handlers and fellow soldiers. It makes you think.
Sanderson also mentions William W. Putney, the author of Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII (this is the #1 non-fiction book on the subject that I always recommend, along with the fictional Finding Jack: A Novel by Gareth Crocker. There are no words for these two books to show how much I think everyone should read them.) I believe the author mentions Putney twice.
Sanderson tells about Chips, who is considered the first dog hero of WWII. Chips was a scout dog in Sicily when he and his platoon came under machine gun fire. The soldiers hit the ground and Chips ran. Instead of running away Chips ran toward the enemy. One man stumbled out with Chips latched onto his neck, the other with his hands up in the air. That same night, after receiving medical attention for what I suppose would be considered minor wounds, Chips went on to catch ten more Italian soldiers. All soldiers who could have killed ours.
Here's where it gets even harder to read. In 1943 Chips was given the Silver Star (for bravery) and the Purple Heart (wounds received in action). The medals were "later withdrawn". Why? Because there were people who complained that an animal should not receive medals meant for humans. This boggles my mind. An "animal" - the same animal who can do the job of a dozen men - doesn't deserve the medals. Never-mind he risked his life. Never-mind so many gave their lives. They're not that special, they're only dogs.
I'm thinking it's possible that some people who lost loved ones took offense at this. But I think any of the men who had passed would have been overjoyed at the thought of these animals being thanked in a way so similar to that of their human counterparts.
I did learn something new from this book - I had never heard of anti-tank dogs. The Russians used anti-tank dogs to stop tanks. Pretty cut and dry. What they did to stop them is beyond the scope of my imagination. The dog carried bombs and were trained to find food underneath tanks. In the field, seeing tanks and thinking they'd find food, they'd rush to the tanks and be crushed. And exploded. I can't say anything else about it. It horrifies me.
Dogs for Defense is mentioned and outlined, even how families went about donating their dogs, a few personal comments are added about how someone in the family felt about donating. The War Dog Cemetery in Guam, the very same one that William W. Putney helped put in place, is talked about in the epilogue. That monument is one I'd like to see before the end of my days.
There are a few facts about the dogs in the back of the book, for example, (and I wasn't aware of this) the Army tried to dye Dalmatians khaki to help camouflage them. Needless to say, it didn't work.
How and why the Marine dogs got the name 'devil dogs' is a fact included.
That the German Shepard is the official Army dog and has been since 1946.
Basically, it's like this, this is a very sad book but very necessary. Our government has shit on these dogs over the course of all of these wars and they're still doing it to this day. And it pisses me off. I've written enough so I won't get into it. I just had to say that much.
Another side-note - the dogs used today? They're obtained from breeders and wholesalers. It's a fact that war dogs do not have to be pure bred and can be trained, should be trained in fact, from very early on. Why not get the from a shelter whenever possible? Yes, it would be a little extra work I suppose. Yet not only would it save money (that oh so precious money) but it would save lives. And it would also impress people the me, the American public, the ones who this is all supposed to be for in the first place. I can't say how much our government disgusts me every single damn day.
If you've read about war dogs before picking this up you'll find some things you remember. I doubt anyone could read a book on war dogs, adult or child, without learning about Stubby. He might be the most well known of all. (Side-note - there is a photo of Stubby included that may not bother everyone but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want my daughter to see.) It's not graphic but it is a photo of Stubby's stuffed body, wearing the decorated coat he wore on duty, that was then displayed at the Smithsonian. I personally think this is disgusting. I'm aware it's a body, a shell if you will, and that Stubby was long gone but it still bothers me. We can remember Stubby without this gruesomeness. IMO.
If you've done any reading you've probably heard of Caesar and seen the pictures of him being carried on a hastily put together stretcher by his fellow soldiers. The famous picture of Eisenhower meeting (and being bit on the hand by) Chips is here. So is well known picture of soldiers and their devil-dogs exiting a boat onto a beach in a run. Nemo and Andy are also written about, both dogs I've read about before and who I would say are well known at the very least.
This isn't easy reading, not even for an adult who has seen all sorts of violence, abuse and horror. Even if the dog you're reading about lived through the battle it's still emotional reading about a dog literally risking his or her life to protect their handlers and fellow soldiers. It makes you think.
Sanderson also mentions William W. Putney, the author of Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WWII (this is the #1 non-fiction book on the subject that I always recommend, along with the fictional Finding Jack: A Novel by Gareth Crocker. There are no words for these two books to show how much I think everyone should read them.) I believe the author mentions Putney twice.
Sanderson tells about Chips, who is considered the first dog hero of WWII. Chips was a scout dog in Sicily when he and his platoon came under machine gun fire. The soldiers hit the ground and Chips ran. Instead of running away Chips ran toward the enemy. One man stumbled out with Chips latched onto his neck, the other with his hands up in the air. That same night, after receiving medical attention for what I suppose would be considered minor wounds, Chips went on to catch ten more Italian soldiers. All soldiers who could have killed ours.
Here's where it gets even harder to read. In 1943 Chips was given the Silver Star (for bravery) and the Purple Heart (wounds received in action). The medals were "later withdrawn". Why? Because there were people who complained that an animal should not receive medals meant for humans. This boggles my mind. An "animal" - the same animal who can do the job of a dozen men - doesn't deserve the medals. Never-mind he risked his life. Never-mind so many gave their lives. They're not that special, they're only dogs.
I'm thinking it's possible that some people who lost loved ones took offense at this. But I think any of the men who had passed would have been overjoyed at the thought of these animals being thanked in a way so similar to that of their human counterparts.
I did learn something new from this book - I had never heard of anti-tank dogs. The Russians used anti-tank dogs to stop tanks. Pretty cut and dry. What they did to stop them is beyond the scope of my imagination. The dog carried bombs and were trained to find food underneath tanks. In the field, seeing tanks and thinking they'd find food, they'd rush to the tanks and be crushed. And exploded. I can't say anything else about it. It horrifies me.
Dogs for Defense is mentioned and outlined, even how families went about donating their dogs, a few personal comments are added about how someone in the family felt about donating. The War Dog Cemetery in Guam, the very same one that William W. Putney helped put in place, is talked about in the epilogue. That monument is one I'd like to see before the end of my days.
There are a few facts about the dogs in the back of the book, for example, (and I wasn't aware of this) the Army tried to dye Dalmatians khaki to help camouflage them. Needless to say, it didn't work.
How and why the Marine dogs got the name 'devil dogs' is a fact included.
That the German Shepard is the official Army dog and has been since 1946.
Basically, it's like this, this is a very sad book but very necessary. Our government has shit on these dogs over the course of all of these wars and they're still doing it to this day. And it pisses me off. I've written enough so I won't get into it. I just had to say that much.
Another side-note - the dogs used today? They're obtained from breeders and wholesalers. It's a fact that war dogs do not have to be pure bred and can be trained, should be trained in fact, from very early on. Why not get the from a shelter whenever possible? Yes, it would be a little extra work I suppose. Yet not only would it save money (that oh so precious money) but it would save lives. And it would also impress people the me, the American public, the ones who this is all supposed to be for in the first place. I can't say how much our government disgusts me every single damn day.
March 19, 2026
It’s OK, nothing special. I give it 2 stars but my son Tony liked it a lot (4 stars on the Tony scale) and he’s the target audience. Thus our combined score is a 3.
It’s one of those Scholastic books that you’d buy at the school book fair back in the day. Somewhat interesting in that it recounts the role dogs played in wartime, but it skims the surface and doesn’t go into any real depth but again I’m not a pre-teen.
Most importantly, it counts towards my 2026 reading goal!
It’s one of those Scholastic books that you’d buy at the school book fair back in the day. Somewhat interesting in that it recounts the role dogs played in wartime, but it skims the surface and doesn’t go into any real depth but again I’m not a pre-teen.
Most importantly, it counts towards my 2026 reading goal!
October 24, 2016
That was actually pretty interesting.
September 15, 2014
War dog heros is an interesting book about how dogs were used during war. I enjoyed the stories about stubby. I chose the book because I saw that it had to do with dogs. The book did not disappoint me. It was a fun read for me. Especially because i do not enjoy to read books.The only thing that i did not like that it was a fast read. I recommend this book to anybody out there who enjoys a good book. I rate this book a five out of five.
September 26, 2014
How many of you learned about war dogs in your school textbooks? Not me! I found this book to make learning about war more interesting. Dogs truly are man's best friend, and this is yet another example.
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March 20, 2013i think i need to read it
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews