S is for… and Caturday Art!!

It’s Saturday So it’s appropriate that today is “S” day!!! It’s alSo Caturday Art day So you’ll have to gueSS which pet I’m with today! (No peeking!) We’re going to learn about Saur, Sage, and Sergeant Stubby.

Saur was another dog-king! He ruled over Norway’s Uplands in the early 1100s. Norway’s king at that time was Eystein. He and his son Onund were hated by the Uplands people so Eystein told them since they refused to be ruled by him or his son, they could choose between the king’s manservant or his dog. The people took a vote and decided on the dog. A throne was built for Saur and he was carried when the weather was bad so he wouldn’t get his feet wet; he also signed decrees with a stamp of his paw. There is, however, no record of the ‘man’ behind the throne! Unfortunately, Saur had a short reign of three years. He died with dignity in battle with a pack of wolves that attacked the royal sheep.

 

A border collie from England named Sage became a FEMA dog. Her partner, D. Whetsel, calls her a “canine Brainiac” – a very smart and quick student. After training Sage’s first mission was on 9/11. She is the dog who found the remains of the terrorist who had flown the plane into the Pentagon. Later, Sage and Diane went to Iraq for 6 months searching for missing American soldiers, both in water and on land. Also, while in Iraq, she served as a therapy dog, bringing joy and comfort to the soldier’s lives. At ten-years-old and back home, Sage was diagnosed with cancer. She fought the cancer the way she did everything – full-tilt. While battling the disease, she became a therapy dog at Camp Enchantment, where kids with cancer go to get a boost in their lives. She fit right in with the kids! When she died in 2012, Whetsel started the Sage Foundation for Dogs Who Serve, whose mission is “to promote the welfare of dogs who have faithfully served in wars, police work, crime prevention, and rescue efforts through education and increased public awareness.”

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There were many hero dogs of World War I but one in particular was the most famous dog of his day. Sergeant Stubby was a small pit bull/Boston terrier mix and he was smart and brave. In July 1917, he wandered into army training grounds in New Haven, Connecticut and was eventually adopted by Corporal Robert Conroy. Conroy smuggled Stubby on the troop ship and into France. When his commanding officer found out about Stubby, the pup saluted the officer the way he had been trained by Conroy and Stubby was allowed to stay with the 102nd Infantry.

One morning in Autumn of 1918 Stubby caught a German spy mapping out American trenches – literally by the seat of his pants. Stubby held on to the man’s backside until the soldiers arrived. With that capture, he was made a sergeant, the first dog to be given a rank in the U.S. armed forces (although there is some mild controversy about whether his rank was ‘official’ or not).

The war dog learned to live with the noises of war and when high-pitched shells were incoming, he would go to ground and cover his ears with his paws. The soldiers learned that this was a sign to take cover before the shells hit. Early one morning while the unit was asleep Stubby woke smelling a gas attack and howled an alarm. The soldiers were able to wake up in time and put on gas masks. He led lost and injured soldiers back to camp, led medics to injured soldiers and carried messages in a can attached to his collar. He served 19 months overseas and survived 17 battles. When he and Robert finally went home, they worked together to raise money for the war effort. Sgt. Stubby died in his sleep in 1926. Conroy had Stubby taxidermied and in 1957 donated the war dog to the Smithsonian.

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For Caturday Art I went back in time and sat on a parade float with Sgt. Stubby!!

So, it waS So nice of you to Stop by!!! AlaS I have to Say Sayonara until Sunday!!! Love and Sweet KiSSeS to you all, Toby