Henlo Frens!
Samantha, Sophia and I have missed you. We have been laying low for a couple of days as Sophia has had an injury to her knee that required visiting her favorite veterinarian. She is doing well, however, and can’t wait to get running around again!
Today, we are going to take it easy and talk some history, but more destinations are to come! So, we travel to New York State for an incredible story about a talented and brave canine…
Many dogs served during World War II, but one of notoriety was a German-Shepherd-Malamute-Collie mix named “Chips.” Originally from New York, this brave war hero was dedicated to the army by his family, as many citizens did with their dogs at the time to aid in the war effort.
Chips gained notoriety as a capable and protective dog as he became very attached to the little girl in the family, Gail. He would walk her to school, lay underneath her desk and protect her if other children began to bother her. The family realized that he could be capable of doing something to help, so he was sent to Front Royal, Virginia to the War Dog Training Center. He began serving in the 3rd Infantry Division, which took him to North Africa, Italy, Germany, and France.
He proved to be at the top of his class in intelligence.
In Italy, Chips showed his abilities and protected his handler, Pvt. John P. Rowell. They were unable to escape the beach as an Italian brigade had them pinned. The last thing the other side expected was to be bested by something other than a human. Chips infiltrated their Pillbox and attacked the Italians, nearly killing one man. Pvt. Rowell spared the man’s life by removing Chips from his throat. Chips escaped with minor injuries.
Chips also stood sentry for the Roosevelt-Churchill conference that was held in 1943 in Casablanca. It was at this conference that the concept of “unconditional surrender” was introduced for the first time, a pivotal moment for the war effort.
Chips not only met Roosevelt and Churchill, he also met Dwight D. Eisenhower. There was only one issue with this meeting, however: chips was trained to bite anyone who was not recognized as his handler, and General Eisenhower bent down to pet him. He bit Eisenhower as the general had forgotten that Chips was more than the average dog. He was a protector.
The General forgave him.
Chips went on to a retirement that found him decorated in military medals, such as the Purple Heart and the Silver Cross. Unfortunately, those medals were rescinded as the military had a rule against decorating animals at the time, but his unit unofficially awarded him a medal for an assault landing that he successfully completed.
After three years of service, Chips was Honorably Discharged and returned to Gail Wren, his little girl. He survived the war and went on to thrive and keep Gail company for the rest of his life in Pleasantville, New York.
There were many dogs that served during history. Another interesting article can be found here: https://militaryhistorynow.com/2012/11/08/the-dogs-of-war-a-short-history-of-canines-in-combat/
Thank you for reading! We hope you have a wonderful day and we will see you soon!
- Samantha & Co. 🐾
Resources and more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chips_(dog)
https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-chips-dog
**No AI was used in the generation of this blog post.**
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