P DOG TO S

True Stories of Canines That Made History Elizabeth MacLeod

toronto + berkeley + vancouver © 2017 Elizabeth MacLeod (text) TENTS Cover art/design by Pixel Hive Studio CON Edited by Chandra Wohleber Designed by Pixel Hive Studio Annick Press Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the participation of the Government of Canada/la participation du gouvernement du Canada for our publishing activities.

an Ontario government agency un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario

Cataloging in Publication MacLeod, Elizabeth, author Top dogs : true stories of canines that made history / Elizabeth MacLeod. Issued in print and print electronic formats. ISBN 978-1-55451-907-1 (hardback).--ISBN 978-1-55451-906-4 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-55451-909-5 (pdf).--ISBN 978-1-55451-908-8 (epub) 1. Working dogs--History--Juvenile literature. I. Title. SF428.2.M32 2017 j636.7’0886 C2016-906258-9 C2016-906259-7 Published in the U.S.A. by Annick Press (U.S.) Ltd. Distributed in Canada by University of Toronto Press. Distributed in the U.S.A. by Publishers Group West. Printed in China Visit us at: www.annickpress.com Also available in e-book format. Please visit www.annickpress.com/ebooks.html for more details. Or scan S CONTENT

Paw Prints Through History...... 3

Seaman the Newfoundland...... 4 Lion Dogs ...... 14 Combat Canine...... 26 Togo and Balto...... 38 A Real Buddy...... 50 Military Guard Dogs...... 60 Sniffer Dog Saves the Day ...... 72 Search and Rescue Dogs...... 82

Time Line ...... 92 Places to Visit ...... 94 Main Sources...... 95 Further Reading ...... 97 Acknowledgments...... 98 Image Credits...... 99 Index ...... 100 UCTION INTROD

ory of mem Senato in LITTLE r, DEAR DOG A and with love , to her family. UCTION INTROD PAW PRINTS THROUGH HISTORY Curled up on a lap, stretched out by war, serving on the battlefield or guarding their owners’ feet, or trotting along for military facilities. Dogs have even saved a walk—dogs are an important part of cities from deadly diseases by transporting many people’s lives. Experts say there are medicine. more than 525 million dogs in the world. You can also read about search and About 75 million of them live in the United rescue dogs that have pulled people out of States—no other country has more pet collapsing buildings. Service dogs help their dogs—and approximately 6 million pooches deaf or blind owners every day, comfort can be found in homes in Canada. people suffering from post-traumatic stress Dogs have lived side by side with disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that humans for as many as 32,000 years. a person can develop after he experiences Scientists believe they were the first a traumatic event, and sniff the breath of animal that ancient humans tamed or people with diabetes to alert them if their domesticated. These early pets helped their blood-sugar level is dropping. Some dogs owners hunt, guarded their families, and, assist those with autism. like today, were faithful companions. Dogs are so important to people that Because dogs have lived with humans lots of expressions include them. If you’re for a long time, they’ve learned to interpret not feeling well, you’re “sick as a dog.” If human behavior and even to decode some your feet hurt, you might say, “My dogs facial expressions. And people have learned are barking!” Feeling really happy? Then to decipher how their pet dogs are feeling, you’re “like a dog with two tails.” although sometimes we’ve needed a little If you’re having trouble learning a new help. In 2003, a scientist who specializes in skill, someone might say, “Well, you can’t canine behavior invented the “wagometer,” teach an old dog new tricks.” Your parents a device that measures the wag of a dog’s might call your messy bedroom “a dog’s tail to interpret the mutt’s mood. breakfast” or say it’s “gone to the dogs.” To But dogs are far more than pets— tidy it up, you may have to “work like a dog.” they’ve changed history too. In this book, Hot diggity dog (that means “wow”)— you can find out about dogs that have it’s amazing how important rescued explorers. Some dogs have gone to dogs are to us!

introduction 3 R 1 CHAPTE Seaman Lewis & Clark's expedition the United States

Handing over his $20, Meriwether Lewis took the leash of the huge black dog. The Newfoundland trotted quietly at his side through the streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, immediately impressing Lewis with its intelligence.

4 Top Dogs Although Newfoundland dogs were rare in the United States o ! in the early 1800s, Lewis knew these dogs were famous for their W O f strength and ability to swim. Because of the dog’s skills in the The $20 Lewis spent water, Lewis decided to call his new pet Seaman. On August 30, 1803, the pair left Pittsburgh and sailed to St. Louis, Missouri, to in 1803 to buy Seaman begin the adventure of their lives. would be worth Earlier that year, the United States had completed the Louisiana about $500 today. Purchase, in which they bought the Louisiana Territory from France. ama This vast swath included land in 15 present-day states from the e n Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Little was known about the S area’s Native people, or about its wild animals, climate, soil, and plants. There were Native settlements, but no stores, doctors, or railways. President Thomas Jefferson chose Lewis to lead an expedition across the new territory to discover and record what was there and create maps of the terrain. Lewis was 29 years old and a skilled hunter and outdoorsman. Lewis had experience negotiating with Native people and was a soldier and politician. In 1801, he had become an aide to Jefferson, managing his schedule and staff. When Meriwether Lewis was Lewis called on his long-time friend William just a teenager, he went Clark, an army lieutenant with excellent out hunting on mid-winter wilderness survival skills, to lead the group with nights with his dogs. him. Clark hired and trained the crew, 33 men The Louisiana Purchase was the United States' largest single land purchase.

5 Newfoundland

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The was first R Pittsburgh o Louisiana . c Ohio R k y Territory

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a p the St. John’s dog, which is native to p i

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s R Newfoundland, and the Portuguese . mastiff. They were used as working dogs by the people who fished the waters off the island of Newfoundland, on Canada’s east coast. These large dogs pulled up fishing nets, and the biggest who were volunteers in the United States ones hauled carts and other equipment. Army. They became known as the Corps of Newfoundlands are famous for Discovery. rescuing fishermen and other people The men had no idea how long the who fall into the ocean’s icy waters. expedition would take. The only thing they Their webbed feet make them great knew was that it would be risky trekking swimmers. They don’t “dog paddle” through unknown territory—with no roads like most dogs but move their paws and no maps—and would require all their to the side, like they are doing the strength and skill. Joining the Corps of breaststroke. Newfoundlands also seem Discovery were more than 200 dogs, but to have an instinct for lifesaving and none would prove to be as valuable to the show great courage performing rescues. expedition as Seaman. Lewis traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to meet with Jefferson’s scientist friends. They taught him to navigate and perform first aid. That training was supposed to help the men in his crew, but it would also end up saving Seaman’s life. The expedition was scheduled to depart in spring 1804 from near St. Louis, Missouri, so Lewis and Seaman headed down the Ohio River to meet up with the other men. The captain discovered that Seaman was extremely good at catching squirrels, and in mid- September, Lewis wrote in his journal, “I made my dog take as many each day as I had occasion for.” Two months later, Lewis and Seaman reached the area where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet, probably somewhere in the present state of Illinois. They met with a group of Shawnee Native people who tried to trade three beaver skins for the great black beast. But Seaman had already impressed Lewis with his loyalty and smarts, and Lewis refused to part with the dog, writing in his journal, “of course there was no bargain.”

During the Lewis and Clark expedition, William Clark's main jobs were to manage the supplies, lead hunting expeditions, and draw maps.

seaman the newfoundland 7 Preparations for the expedition continued, camped onshore, Seaman wandered off and on May 14, 1804, the men began and explored on his own. Lewis was always their journey from near St. Louis. They relieved when his dog returned. paddled northwest up the Missouri River. At first, the men who wrote about Seaman padded along the riverbank beside Seaman in their journals called him “the the boats or rode with Lewis in one of dog” or “Captain Lewis’s dog.” But he the crafts. At night, when the expedition was a good companion and very helpful at catching animals for food. On July 15, 1806, Lewis recorded that “Seaman . . . proves his worth by brining down an Elk calf.” Soon all the men were calling him “our dog.”

When Seaman was in one of the expedition's boats, he tried to stay near Lewis.

Heroes In 1995, a NewfoundlandRescue dog named wading into the sea when the currents Boo pulled a man from the Yuba River in were too strong. California. The man was hearing impaired In New Jersey, in February 1983, a and mute, so he couldn’t call for help. Newfoundland called Villa heard the cries Without Boo’s aid, he would likely of a 12-year-old neighbor trapped in a have drowned. snowbank. Villa jumped a fence and then Bilbo the Newfoundland was a beach- circled the girl to clear the snow around rescue dog in Cornwall, England, and her. The dog positioned herself so the Britain’s most famous lifesaving dog. He girl could grab her and be hauled out of saved three lives and kept tourists from the snowdrift.

8 Top Dogs At the end of October, the group built Fort Mandan, in North Dakota, and spent the winter there. It was too cold and snowy to continue the exploration safely, so they spent the time repairing equipment, drying meat, and making clothes from animal skins. In April 1805, they continued their trek west to the coast. To help them communicate with the Native people, they were accompanied by Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian woman. The expedition often went hungry, so on May 19, the men were pleased when one of the corps members shot a beaver (above right)—the large animal would provide lots of meat to roast over the fire that night. But their delight turned to horror when Seaman swam out to WoO f ! retrieve the animal. When the big dog got close, the beaver—which was not yet dead—bit him in the hind leg, cutting through an artery Many explorers took (a tube that carries large amounts of blood from your heart to the Newfoundland dogs rest of your body). with them, including As the men carried Seaman back to camp, the bite was bleeding Sir John Franklin so badly Lewis was terrified his beloved dog would die. But thanks when he searched to the first aid Lewis had been taught, Seaman pulled through and was soon back to guarding the men and helping them hunt. the Arctic for the It was a good thing they had saved Seaman because just 10 days Northwest Passage later, on May 29, a large male buffalo stampeded through the camp. in the mid-1800s. Seaman raced out, attacking the animal as it headed for the tent where Lewis and Clark were sleeping. Thanks to the dog’s barking and nipping, the buffalo headed off into the night again, causing little damage. Seaman had saved the expedition! Less than a month later, a bear barged through the woods near the camp. Although it ate some of the food for the expedition, Seaman’s barking kept it away from the men.

Clark drew this picture of a sage-grouse in his journal. Dog THE First Dog The earliest dog ancestor on earth looked a lot teeth to guard against enemies like a weasel: about 40 million years ago, this and more dangerous wild animals. little creature, called Miacis, lived in trees. Dogs surely appreciated people It evolved into Tomarctus approximately sharing food! 23 million years ago. A sharp-nosed furry The first identifiable dog animal, Tomarctus was only about breed, a type of greyhound, 46 centimeters (18 inches) high. It was the appeared about 9000 BCE, ancestor to wolves and jackals, as well recorded in Egyptian as dogs. paintings and carvings. About 35,000 years ago, dogs evolved This tall, slim dog was to be separate from wolves. Scientists have trained by the ancient found evidence that people began taming Egyptians to help them dogs around 32,000 years ago. hunt. Other ancient breeds Ancient peoples must have appreciated include the malamute, Salukis are graceful, dogs’ keen sense of smell, which helped them saluki, shar-pei, intelligent dogs. track down dinner, as well as their sharp and shih tzu.

Earlier that summer, Lewis wrote in his journal, “The musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist . . . my dog even howls with the torture he experiences from them, they are almost insupportable, they are so numerous that we frequently get them in our throats as we breathe.” Another problem for Seaman, and for the entire corps, was needle-and-thread grass, which grew widely across the territory. Its barbed seeds pierced the men’s moccasins and leggings. The seeds also clung to Seaman’s heavy coat and, as Lewis recorded on July 26, 1805, “My poor dog suffers with them excessively.” Seaman was a fast learner. He watched and copied how wolves

The bristle on each seed of needle-and-thread grass helps the seed twist and drill its way into the ground.

10 Top Dogs and bears took advantage of antelopes’ weak swimming to catch o ! and eat them. Seaman would dive into a river or lake, swim up W O f to one of these deer-like animals, bite the back of its neck, push You can read about it underwater to drown it, then tow it back to the waiting men. Seaman also learned to hunt wild geese. Lewis and Clark’s On August 17, 1805, the expedition stood on the Continental Divide, adventures in their the place in the Rocky Mountains where the streams on the eastern own words online: side all flow into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, while lewisandclarkjournals. the waters on the western side flow toward the Pacific Ocean. unl.edu A few months later, in November 1805, they reached the Pacific Coast at the mouth of the Columbia River. Seaman must have stood with the men as they stared out over the vast ocean and heard the waves crash against the rocky shore. The men spent the winter near the coast, building a base they called Fort Clatsop, after the Native people who lived in the area.

Pal was a pet Newfoundland given to a of the during World War II. At that time, the soldiers were stationed at International Airport in Newfoundland, so they renamed GanderTHE the dog Gander. Hero The regiment sailed to Hong Kong in 1941 and Gander went too. During the , which began on December 8, 1941, the brave Newfoundland chased Japanese invaders away from wounded Canadians. When Japanese soldiers threw a grenade at the Canadian soldiers, Gander picked up the bomb in his mouth and raced with it toward the enemy. He saved the lives of many Canadians, but sadly was killed when the grenade exploded. Gander with members of the in Hong Kong seaman the newfoundland 11 EMPEROR'S Savior Napoleon Bonaparte (below), emperor of France in the early 1800s, led his country into many battles, winning most of them. However, in 1812, Napoleon began losing major battles and was exiled by other European countries to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea. It wasn’t long before he began planning his escape. On February 26, 1815, Napoleon was in a fisherman’s boat, desperately making his way through the choppy seas to mainland France. Suddenly, a huge wave Sacagawea (right), a Shoshone woman, was pitched him overboard! vital to Lewis and Clark's expedition. The fisherman’s Newfoundland dog jumped into the rough In March 1806, the expedition headed home. waters and kept They had survived attacks by animals, the emperor afloat desperate hunger, and overturned boats. But until he could reach for Lewis, the worst was yet to come. safety. When he On the night of April 11, Lewis was got back in France, heartbroken to discover his dog had his army went to disappeared. But when the captain learned battle again—but from a Clahclellah Native chief that three Napoleon ended Watlala Native men had stolen Seaman, up being exiled he was furious. He immediately sent three once more! corpsmen after the thieves. As soon as the thieves realized Lewis’s men were pursuing them, they let Seaman go and he bounded back to his friends. The expedition finally returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806. o ! Lewis and Clark had led the first official expedition to cross the W O f United States from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. They Seaman’s Day is became two of the most famous explorers in American history. The Corps of Discovery had covered more than 12,875 kilometers celebrated with (8,000 miles). They met Native American tribes that Americans storytelling and back east didn’t even know existed. The men were also the first crafts every July at non–Native Americans to describe more than 300 animals and Fort Clatsop, Oregon. plants, including the grizzly bear, whooping crane, and wolverine. The expedition Seaman was the only animal to complete the entire trip. He proved himself to be a strong, smart, loyal member of the stayed there in expedition. winter 1805/1806. The big black Newfoundland remained with Lewis to the end. When the captain died on October 11, 1809, Seaman would not abandon him. Seaman even sat by Lewis’s grave, refusing to eat. He pined away and died of grief on his master’s grave.

There are many pictures Non-Native Americans had never seen buffalo and statues of Lewis and before the Lewis and Clark expedition. his brave dog Seaman.

seaman the newfoundland 13