Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week: Military mascots from down under
By Rebecca Frankel Best Defense chief canine correspondent Long before there were bomb detector dogs, canines found their way into the soldiers’ battlefields and onto sailors’ ships. And while they were generally considered pets and mascots, these dogs served loyally beside their human masters as messengers and sentries among other things. I discovered this week ...
By Rebecca Frankel
Best Defense chief canine correspondent
Long before there were bomb detector dogs, canines found their way into the soldiers’ battlefields and onto sailors’ ships. And while they were generally considered pets and mascots, these dogs served loyally beside their human masters as messengers and sentries among other things. I discovered this week that Australia’s Royal Forces have a particularly rich war-dog history.
I came across a remarkable find, an on-line cache of old photos dating back to WWI and extending through the Vietnam War, compiled by the Australian War Memorial, of Aussie soldiers with their four-legged companions. The collection is so good — like the photo above featuring Flight Lieutenant G. A. Greenwood and Sergeant B. Agnew with their unit’s mascots that we compiled a photo essay, a Best Defense war-dog first.
Enjoy the show: Australia’s Fighting Dogs … and cats. And koalas.
More from Foreign Policy
No, the World Is Not Multipolar
The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.
America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.
America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
And it should stop trying.
The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.