Hero Dogs of WWII Blitz - a wonderful article! Featuring hero Border Collie and GSDs

Here is an absolutely wonderful story perfect for Remembrance Day Weekend!

There is a very neat story about how the Border Collie, Peter, was such a handful, but found his calling as a SAR dog, saved lives, and even met the Queen and won a National service award. Funny, Jet is so much like this - she is a hard headed dog - but great tracking dog. Her own breeder said she was "Ungodly smart and completely dishonest" as a youngster because she wanted to do everything for herself. Tracking really let her be in charge. Reading about this dog and his intelligence is so moving. It choked me up!

And of course, we see GSDs, but other dogs including mongrels and terriers make this list, showing that ALL dogs can be motivated to use their noses to serve a noble cause. I always say this about tracking - ALL dogs can do it and enjoy it. This is a wonderful article, and there is even a GSD named Thorn! (I had a Thorn). I find it interesting how the dogs' ability to detect scent baffled their handlers. Today we know so much more, but it is still a great mystery to many of us to see dogs use their noses with such joy and such ease.

I am pasting the story of Peter the Border Collie below this story. I am giving credit to the sources here. Please visit the link to see the actual stories where they are published.

 

The Magnificent Seven: Hero dogs that saved hundreds during the Blitz are honoured

By Paul Harris
UPDATED:06:56 GMT, 17 May 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278928/Hero-dogs-saved-hundreds-Blitz-honoured.html

In the canine world they are the Magnificent Seven – the dogs that helped us survive the Blitz.
As the bombs fell on London they scoured the rubble of ruined buildings, finding hundreds of survivors for rescue teams.
When the Second World War ended, each was awarded the Dickin Medal for uncommon valour, the four-legged equivalent of a Victoria Cross and the highest honour bestowed by the charity the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals.
Now, in the 70th anniversary year of the Blitz, all seven are to be remembered in a PDSA roll of honour.

PETER: COLLIE CROSS

Peter: Passed search-dog training with distintion

His owners signed him over to the War Office in the hope he might help on the Home Front. He passed search-dog training with distinction and went on to locate a succession of victims trapped in or under bombed buildings.
His most triumphant moment came when he saved the life of a small boy in Chelsea after one of the last flying bomb attacks on London.
Recognition came when the Civil Defence was formally stood down at a parade in Hyde Park.

RIP: MONGREL TERRIER

Rip: Rescued more than 100 people

A stray adopted by an air raid warden unit after being bombed out of his London dockland home.
They couldn’t stop him becoming a search and rescue dog – it seemed he did it for the enjoyment.
In 12 months between 1940 and 1941, he rescued more than 100 people from the air-raid ruins. He carried on the good work for another four years.

JET: ALSATIAN

Jet: Called out every night until the end of the air attacks in the capital

Jet of Lada, to give him his full pedigree, was born in Liverpool to celebrated breeder Mrs Babcock Cleaver.
He attended ‘war dog’ school in Gloucester from the age of nine months and was initially stationed in Northern Ireland, later distinguishing himself in anti-sabotage work for the Government.
When he was rebased in London, he became one of the most successful rescue dogs of the war, called out every night until the end of the air attacks on the capital.

BEAUTY: WIRE HAIRED FOX TERRIER

Pioneered a special squad to locate and rescue trapped animals despite never being trained for a wartime role.
Her owner Bill Barnett, a PDSA superintendent, used to take her on patrol with him when he toured the East End with a Civil Defence unit. She rescued 63 animals overall.

Beauty: Pioneered a special squad to locate and rescue trapped animals

 

IRMA: ALSATIAN

Irma trained at the Ministry of Aircraft Production Dog School and is credited with saving hundreds of lives.
Her ability to locate victims through the most dense and difficult obstacles constantly astounded her handlers.

Irma: Ability to locate victims constantly astounded her handlers

After one air raid she insisted she had found life under a collapsed house, and refused to budge.
After a day, rescuers pulled two young girls alive from the ruins.

 

THORN: ALSATIAN

Thorn came from a distinguished line of search and rescue dogs.
He was spectacularly fearless and happy to dash into blazing buildings to do his sniffer duty inside.
He once found a family trapped under a burning house.
How he detected their scent baffled rescuers – but they got the family out alive.

'Outstanding good work': Alsatians Rex, left, and Thorn

 

REX: ALSATIAN

Rex was described by Civil Defence authorities as having done ‘outstanding good work’ during the years he worked to the end of the war in 1945.
They said he ‘displayed uncanny intelligence and outstanding determination in his efforts to follow up any scent which led him to a trapped casualty’.

 

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

/end

Peter the Border Collie

I have taken this story from 'Recognition for the Border Collie's' Facebook site. I am not sure where they got it from (I have asked so I can give appropriate credit), but it is a brilliant story showing the intelligence of the Border Collie, and also how a dog that is considered a 'problem' can excel when it finds its calling.

Peter..the Hero Collie of the Blitz

In his formative years Peter was quite a handful. He fought with other dogs,
chewed anything he could get hold of and generally behaved like 'a four legged gangster'. In June 1944, in response to an appe...

al by the Ministry of Aircraft Production, Peter's then questionable talents were offered to the Government
for war service. His 'call-up' came in September and travelling on a third class War Department Railway Warrant he duly reported to the Ministry 's Guard Dog School at Staverton Court in Gloucestershire for secret training as a Search & Rescue Dog.
Under the watchful eye of his trainer and handler, Mr. Archie Knight, Peter soon revealed a hitherto hidden sagacity and a capacity for learning. Having shown an admirable steadfastness under battle conditions on the assault course, and a mastery of life saving techniques, he was accordingly 'passed out' and posted with Mr. Knight to Civil Defence
Depot 1 , housed in Cranmer Court, Chelsea.

From early 1945 until the cessation of hostilities, 'Rescue Dog No. 2664/9288 Peter', as he was officially known, served with a team of 1 5 dogs attached to London Region Civil Defence Headquarters employed in the location of casualties trapped under debris as a result of V-1 and V-2 rocket attacks. During the course of this valuable work, Peter was credited with 'six definites' and 'scores of probables'. In the case of the 'probables' (i.e. fatalities) his speed in locating them saved the Heavy Rescue Squads many hours of fruitless digging enabling them to move on to other incidents. However, even an expert team such as Peter and Mr. Knight could be duped. On one occasion while searching through a blitzed building, Peter gave a strong indication and tunnelling began. Shortly a voice uttering a string of curses was heard emanating from the rubble, showing that the casualty was very much alive.
The ambulance men stood to and the digging continued apace. But when the last piece of debris was removed the victim was found to be a rather large and irate parrot!
One of Peter's finest performances took place on 23 March when arriving at a bomb site at 9.20 a.m. he proceeded to give position indications in a designated area. 'He was then transferred', according to an official account, 'to another area where equally good results were obtained. The Rescue Parties were continually calling for the assistance of Peter
But it was not possible to deal with every one immediately . After nine hours of continuous working, during which time Peter had never once refused to do all his handler asked of him, he was relieved by the dogs from another C.D. Group. After a six hour rest he returned to the incident where he worked hard for another two hours without rest, giving further definite indications. There is no doubt that the prompt and accurate information given by Peter to his handler resulted in at least three persons being rescued alive by the Rescue Squads'.

A confidential report on Peter's work written by Archie Knight in early April gives further evidence of Peter's determination: 'I think one of his finest jobs was on Monday . We were called 20 hours after the incident, and after several hours of heavy rain. Three bodies were missing and he very quickly indicated in a most unlikely spot, but he
was right, and they uncovered a man and a woman both on the same spot. After all that rain had packed the debris
tightly , I thought this a most praiseworthy effort. The next day we were called to another job. There were so many calls for Peter, who is well known in this district, that I worked him ten hours and he never once refused to give all he had. All his marks revealed casualties. The next day we returned, and he worked like a hero again, until after six hours, I refused to ask any more of him. I hated to work him like this but I also hated to refuse the rescue parties who were asking for him. He was really played out, but he worked like a Trojan'.
In May, Peter again distinguished himself when, attending the scene of one of the last rocket attacks of the War, he was responsible for saving the life of a small boy .
Peter, however, was no mere canine automation. On arriving at one site right at the very end of the War, he and fellow Chelsea C.D. Dog Taylor sat down and refused to show any interest in the proceedings. Their handlers being somewhat preplexed tried them at various points but without success.
Finally , thinking Peter and Taylor must be ill, their respective handlers withdrew them. Neither Archie Knight nor Taylor's handler, Mr. W.T. Rowe, could find
any explanation for this isolated incident of non co-operation.
Then Rowe hit upon the fact that for the last three days, enemy action had prevented delivery of the dogs' meat ration and consequently they had had to put up with biscuits. As far as Peter and Taylor were concerned, no meat, it seemed, meant no work.
Following V.E. Day , Peter was temporarily retained by the Ministry and in June was chosen to lead the Civil Defence stand down parade in Hyde Park during which he was presented the King and Queen, and Princess Elizabeth. By all accounts Peter thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially meeting the Queen, who, being of Scots descent like himself, had a special word for him.
In July , Peter went on a Mountain Rescue course in the Lake District and thereafter gave demonstrations of that discipline back at Staverton Court. His 'demob' finally came through at theend of July and he returned home to resume rabbit chasing activities.

Finally on 12 Nov ember, word reached Peter's home from the Allied Forces Mascot Club that he was to receive the award of the Dickin Medal had been approved by the Selection Committee in consideration of his service during the Blitz.
Peter was invested with the Dickin Medal by Sir James Ross of the Air Ministry at the United Charities Fair in Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane.
Peter, whose rare service to humanity included saving the lives of six people, breathed his last in Nov ember 1952 at the Peoples' Dispensary for Sick Animals in Nottingham. He is buried in the Animals' Cemetery in Ilford.