![]() ![]() To solve the problem of chemical warfare on the battlefield for soldiers there have always been adaptive innovation for dogs serving in the military. The use of gas masks for military dogs continues to this day, as they remain an important part of military operations in various conflicts around the world. These masks covered the dog's nose and mouth, providing them with protection against toxic gas. To protect them, gas masks were developed specifically for dogs, and were introduced in the war effort. Military dogs were used for various purposes, including sentry duty, messenger service, and reconnaissance, and were vulnerable to the same chemical agents as their human handlers. The use of chemical warfare was prevalent in the trenches and soldiers were not the only ones affected. The use of gas masks for military dogs dates back to World War I. The main concern for military leaders has been chemical toxins being used on the battle field which affect human soldiers and canine service animals. Trying to solve the problem of dogs needing protection from air pollution threats has been an important topic for military leaders throughout the 20th century and into the current 21st century. ![]() “As part of the great Red Cross army of mercy, he is beyond price.South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (GBP £) knows that medical assistance cannot be far away, and will be summoned by every means in the dog’s power. "Here at last is help, here is first aid. “To the forlorn and despairing wounded soldier, the coming of the Red Cross dog is that of a messenger of hope. Not many people will have come across Oliver Hyde’s book, 'The Work of the Red Cross Dog on the Battlefield', written in 1915.īut in this long-forgotten book, a paean to the bravery of the daring canines, the author captures perfectly the value of the First World War's most unlikely group of heroes. It is purely a matter of their instinct, far more effective than man’s reasoning powers.” One surgeon recalled: “They sometimes lead us to bodies we think have no life in them, but when we bring them back to the doctors…always find a spark. Their heightened senses brought another priceless benefit. They were especially useful when working with search parties in hostile territory, because their keen noses would locate wounded soldiers in thickets and bushes who otherwise might have been missed. (Each hound was taught to ‘freeze’ on the ground if hostile fire lit up the sky.)Īccording to war medics, the Red Cross dogs saved many lives. ![]() The resourceful pooch would then silently lead a stretcher party straight back to the victim, still in pitch darkness, right under the enemy’s collective nose. If a soldier was unconscious or unable to move, however, the dog would run back to its handler carrying a cap, glove or torn scrap of clothing as evidence. Lightly injured men could then treat their own injuries and be guided back to their own trench. Carrying harnesses filled with medical supplies and small canteens of water, they searched out their own troops. Because once the dogs were fully trained, what they achieved on the battlefield was incredible.Īs soldiers lay injured or dying out in no man’s land, the dogs were sent out under cover of darkness. It was a long and exhaustive process, but worth it. (After all, nobody wanted them leading a search party to an injured but still-armed German soldier.) They uncomplainingly wore restrictive gas masks.Ĭritically, they were also taught to distinguish between British military uniforms and those of the enemy. They could understand a huge range of hand signals. The level of sophistication in the dogs’ training was jaw-dropping. ![]()
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