On This Day, 10 August 1918

Birmingham Mail 

Saturday 10 August 1918

Birmingham’s Dogs of War.

In addition to Birmingham’s multitudinous and multifarious war contributions in the way of munitions, the city is also contributing a number of dogs to be trained for war purposes. At the Dogs’ Home a sharp eye is kept on all the lost animals sent in, and any which the superintendent considers at all suitable are picked out and forwarded to the military authorities, who have set up an establishment where the animals are trained in scouting and despatch carrying before being sent to France. Only dogs of a certain physique are adaptable to this work, and the majority of the stray animals sent to the Dogs’ Home in Birmingham unfortunately are not of the desired type, being of small build and with insufficient “mouth.” However, rarely week passes without two or three dogs being sent off to the training school.