Stubby Dog From Vagabond to Hero

This is the incredible story of a dog who fought in World War I and did so many feats that he became the first and only dog to be given the rank of sergeant for his exploits. Stubby was a common stray puppy that Private John Robert Conroy picked up near the Yale campus in 1917. In general, animals were not allowed on regimental grounds, but an exception was made for the dog, who kept up morale among the soldiers. Very quickly, surprisingly for a dog, Stubby learned to walk in formation, recognize the sound of the bugle, and even salute by bringing his front right paw to his eyebrows! Stubby was allowed to be in the line of fire with the soldiers. He was wounded during a gas attack. This made the dog very sensitive to the smell of gas. He smelled it beforehand, barked and thus saved the soldiers. One morning. While the soldiers were still asleep, the gas attack began, and smelling the gas, Stubby began to run through the trenches, barking, biting the sleeping soldiers, trying his best to wake them up. He saved a lot of lives that morning. Once Stubby was even able to apprehend a German spy - he bit the enemy, and by barking, called to himself the soldiers who arrested the spy. Toward the end of the war, Stubby took part in 17 battles, also in parallel raising the morale of his wounded friends in the hospital. For all his service, Stubby was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He had many awards. But his greatest award was the Gold Medal of the Humane Society of the United States, which he was honorably awarded in 1921. The dog and faithful friend passed away in the arms of his loving master in 1926, but the hero is still remembered to this day.