Man's Best Friends - True Stories of the World's Most Heroic Dogs. John McShane
were devoted to each other. After crash landing following an air raid in Germany, Bozdech stumbled across a small puppy in a bombed-out farmhouse and rescued him. Little did he know the dog would save his life.
The Czechs joined the French Air Force during World War II and after numerous escapades, during which he and Antis were shot down and rescued, Bozdech and his dog arrived safely in England, where Jan was accepted for training by the RAF. During their time in the UK, they helped find survivors of air raids in the bombed-out city of Liverpool. After the war, Bozdech and Antis returned to Czechoslovakia but eventually made an attempt to escape to the West.
At one point the Czech and two friends had to cross a river under cover of darkness. In the strong current his master lost his footing and hit his head on a boulder but Antis grabbed hold of his jacket and dragged him to the bank. Bozdech knew without his friends to guide him, he would be lost and so he sent Antis to seek them out. The dog returned after locating both men and all three continued their journey. Their troubles were far from over, though. One night, as mist descended, the dog was placed on lookout. Although Bozdech and his friends heard nothing, Antis pounced on a border guard who was about to discover them. Eventually they were able to complete their journey safely.
Back in England Antis was quarantined for six months, during which he pined for his master and became seriously ill. Bozdech had been unable to visit due to a slipped cartilage but arranged to be transferred nearer to the kennels. Immediately the dog heard Jan say the familiar words, ‘Looking for someone?’ Antis’ spirits rose and he went on to make a rapid recovery.
Sadly, Antis died at the age of 13 and is buried at the Animal Cemetery in Ilford. The words on his grave read: ‘There is an old belief that on some solemn shore beyond the sphere of grief, dear friends shall meet once more’.
Another German Shepherd – Brian, sometimes called Bing – was a fully qualified paratrooper, completing the required number of jumps and even taking part in the historic Normandy landings. He too was awarded the Dickin Medal, in 1947. Rescued when his parachute became caught in a tree and heavily wounded by shellfire, he was still able to warn Allied troops of German military. He survived to spend three months sniffing ammunition dumps and gun guards as his military masters – the 13th Battalion, Airborne Division – helped liberate France.
Born in Nottingham and volunteered for action by his young owner, Betty French, the dog took six practice jumps in a specially adapted parachute before being dropped into Ranville for the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. So impressed with his work rate and instant obedience were the military hierarchy that they tried to persuade Betty to let them keep him but she refused and the dog, still nursing his war injuries, was returned to her in Loughborough in October 1946. He lived on until 1955.
Sometimes the war had to be fought at home, too. The Blitz caused devastation in the cities of Britain, nowhere more so than in London. Dogs, with German Shepherds to the forefront, played their part yet again.
Irma assisted in the rescue of 191 people trapped under bombed buildings while serving with London’s Civil Defence Services during the Second World War. Noted for her ability to tell if buried victims were alive or dead, she was awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945. The German Shepherd was initially used as a messenger dog to relay messages when phone lines were down. She was teamed with Psyche, another dog from the same kennel, and both were retrained to become search-and-rescue dogs. The pair were handled by their owner, Mrs Margaret Griffin (who received the British Empire Medal for her work). Together, they found 233 people, of whom 21 were discovered alive.
In one incident, Irma refused to give up on the scent of two girls trapped under a fallen building for two days. She specialised in being able to bark differently, depending on whether the buried victim was alive or dead. This included one occasion when Irma signalled with an ‘alive’ bark and rescuers dug out an apparently dead victim. Thankfully Irma was proved correct as the man eventually stirred.
There were a number of dogs combing the wreckage for survivors and among those who perished in the bombing, many of them German Shepherds. Jet was another German Shepherd and he, remarkably, assisted in the rescue of 150 people trapped under destroyed buildings. Born in Liverpool, in the Iada kennel of Mrs Babcock Cleaver in July 1942, Jet was black and initially called Jett, his full pedigree name being Jet of Iada. From nine months he was loaned to be trained at the War Dogs School at Gloucester, where he was specialised in anti-sabotage work. After 18 months performing anti-sabotage duties on airfields, he was returned to the school for further training in search-and-rescue duties, where he was partnered with a Corporal Wardle. They were then sent to London, where Jet became famous for being called out every night until the end of the air attacks and together with Corporal Wardle, became the first handler and dog to be used in an official capacity in Civil Defence rescue duties.
He was awarded the Dickin Medal on 12 January 1945 for saving the lives of over 50 people trapped in bombed buildings and the dedication read: ‘For being responsible for the rescue of persons trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the Civil Defence Services of London’.
After the war he returned to Liverpool, but on 15 August 1947 an explosion occurred in the William Pit at Whitehaven in Cumbria. Jet’s heroic efforts helped save some of the rescuers and he was subsequently awarded the RSPCA’s Medallion of Valour. A memorial was eventually placed in the flower garden at Calderstones Park in Liverpool, near where the valiant dog is buried.
A more contemporary example of a German Shepherd’s courage in conflict came in 2002, with the posthumous Dickin Medal awarded to Sam for his actions in Bosnia when he floored a gunman and also kept a missile-throwing mob at bay. In 1998, Sam was on duty in Drvar with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Dog Unit – with his handler Sergeant Iain Carnegie (from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire) – when a gunman opened fire and although the man fled, the dog gave chase through winding backstreets and passages. Sgt. Carnegie said in the medal’s citation: ‘Sam performed brilliantly. He upheld the very best traditions of British Army dogs. He was a wonderful and loyal servant to his handler, who was very fond of him’. Six days later, a mob armed with crowbars, clubs and stones surrounded a group of about 50 Serbs, but Sam held them off until backup arrived.
Some rioters even attempted to torch the compound but Sam chased them away. ‘Sam displayed outstanding courage in the face of the rioters, never did he shy away – I could never have attempted to carry out my duties without Sam,’ said Sgt. Carnegie. Sadly, Sam (who retired in 2000) died the next year, aged 10. His citation read: ‘His true valour undoubtedly saved the lives of many servicemen and civilians’.
Perhaps the most common sighting of German Shepherds being used professionally comes when they are seen with police dog handlers. Obi was one such dog but he had the misfortune to be on the receiving end of an attack by those who believed themselves beyond the law.
Obi, a three-year-old German Shepherd, and his handler, PC Phil Wells, were bombarded with bottles, bricks and petrol bombs while on the frontline in Tottenham, North London, during the street-riots that hit London in August 2011. Although struck by a missile (thought to be a brick), he showed no immediate signs of injury and carried on working for several hours before blood was spotted trickling from his left nostril.
He was relieved from duty and taken to a vet for an assessment, where a scan revealed a fracture to his skull above the left eye socket. Following this, he underwent emergency treatment at Mandeville Veterinary Hospital, but was then referred to Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital in Cambridge for a CT scan. Under the direction of veterinary surgeon Graham Hayes, he received specialist diagnostic investigation of his injuries and under light anaesthetic, the CT scanner was used to take several detailed pictures of Obi’s skull: these were then re-constructed to create a three-dimensional image of his head injury.
The image clearly shows the impact site of the brick and surrounding bone damage. Fortunately, there was no evidence of gross haemorrhage around the brain or fractures to the brain case. Obi, based at West Drayton police station in West London, was given time off to recover. He returned to work to complete light duties but it was two months before he was given the all clear to resume full service.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)