Category: Animal Stories

Heroic War Pigeons

World War One, and to some extent, the Second World War, was a strange blend of archaic and modern technology. The First World War, in particular, saw many technological innovations such as machine guns, grenades, submarines, warplanes and tanks, and despite the advances in radio and communications technology, many field commanders preferred to use carrier pigeons to convey important messages. Radio sets were too heavy to carry into battle, and field telephone lines snapped easily. With a homing pigeon, one could write a message on a piece of paper, place it inside a small canister and attach it to the pigeon’s leg. Once the pigeon was released, it would invariably try to fly back home and deliver the message.

He rescued Sadie from a shelter, then she saved his life

Last September, Brian Myers walked into a New Jersey animal shelter and rescued Sadie, a German shepherd, giving her another chance at life. Four months later, Sadie would do the same for him. Heather Centrella, the office manager at Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge, said she got a call from Myers last week. It wasn’t to return Sadie to the shelter in Oakland, New Jersey, but rather to tell her what Sadie did.

A British Sailor whose name was Just Nuisance

Just Nuisance, a Great Dane, is the only dog ever to have been officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. During World War II between 1939 and 1944 the donkey-sized hound served with HMS Afrikander at the Royal Navy naval base in Simon’s Town (Simonstown), a once lovely, ordered and prosperous shoreline town in South Africa. The seaside community is located just 38 miles by road from Cape Town.