8 of the Most Heroic Dogs in History
Humans have walked alongside domesticated dogs for at least 15,000 years, and possibly twice as long as that. The oldest known grave where humans and dogs were buried together dates back to the Paleolithic era, proving not only domestication, but also that there was an emotional bond between humans and canines.
It’s impossible to imagine how many human lives our faithful friends have saved in all those millennia — the countless times dogs have alerted us to danger and protected us from threats, dragged us from rivers or found us when we’ve fallen and can no longer walk. Our trusted canines have often served as an extension of our eyes and ears — as well as our hearts.
Dogs are more than capable of being heroes, and while most of their brave and selfless deeds have been lost to history, others have been recorded for posterity. Here are some of those heroic dogs, from the ancient world to the modern age.
Soter
In 456 BCE, a group of Persian soldiers tried to sneak into the Greek city of Corinth with the intention of holding the city until a much larger force could launch a full-scale attack. They knew that about 50 dogs were posted around the city to warn of enemy incursions, and so they quietly set about eliminating the canine guards. Only one survived, a dog named Soter. Soter managed to escape, but he didn’t run. He fulfilled his duty by alerting the Corinthian garrison of the sneak attack. The Corinthians repelled the Persians and sent out for immediate reinforcements. Soter was later honored with a pension and a silver collar that read, “To Soter, defender and savior of Corinth, placed under the protection of his friends.”
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Donnchadh
In 1306, Scottish independence leader Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland. He set about reclaiming territory held by the English, which enraged King Edward I of England. The English managed to capture Robert’s wife, as well as one of Robert’s beloved and highly trained hunting dogs, Donnchadh (pronounced “DON-nu-chu”), who was a Talbot breed, an ancestor of the modern bloodhound. The English concocted a crafty plan: They would use the captured hound to track the Scottish king. They set the dog free and Donnchadh soon picked up the trail, unknowingly leading a group of English soldiers straight to Robert. However, the English hadn’t fully appreciated Donnchadh’s loyalty to his owner. When they reached Robert, the dog immediately turned on the English soldiers, defending Robert and giving both time to escape the ambush — and, in so doing, keep the fight for Scottish independence alive.
Moustache
Moustache, sometimes called Mous, was a black French poodle who took part in the Napoleonic Wars. His deeds are shrouded in legend and not all of his exploits may be true, but this little pup certainly saw his share of action. It all started when Moustache decided to set off with a group of grenadiers, and soon became part of their regiment. He marched across the Alps with Napoleon Bonaparte’s army in the spring of 1800. He warned his comrades of an Austrian ambush, saving them from disaster. He took a bayonet in his left shoulder, but managed to crawl to safety to be patched up. And before he was even fully recovered, he took part in the Battle of Marengo. According to legend, he also marched into the Battle of Austerlitz, where he supposedly rescued the French flag from a fallen standard-bearer and returned it to the French camp, despite being wounded in the leg. Moustache was later reputedly killed by a cannonball at the Siege of Badajoz in 1812, at the age of 12. Soldiers buried the brave poodle with a simple but well-earned inscription on his grave: “Here lies the brave Moustache.”
Sergeant Stubby
Sergeant Stubby was quite possibly the most decorated dog of World War I. In 1917, Private J. Robert Conroy of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division, found a puppy wandering around the grounds of the Yale University campus where the division was training. He named the pup Stubby on account of his short tail, and the dog soon became the regiment’s unofficial mascot. He learned the various drills and even mastered a dog salute. When the division shipped out for France, Stubby went with them and soon found himself on the front lines of World War I. He served with the 102nd in the trenches for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 17 battles. Apart from being a vital morale-booster, Stubby learned how to warn his fellow soldiers of incoming gas attacks, helped locate injured soldiers, and even apprehended a German spy. He was injured in battle on more than one occasion, and — along with his numerous medals — gained promotion to the rank of sergeant, becoming the first dog to receive a rank in the U.S. armed forces.
Togo
In the winter of 1924 and 1925, a potentially deadly outbreak of diphtheria struck the remote town of Nome, Alaska, putting the lives of more than 10,000 people — particularly children — at risk. With air travel impossible due to a blizzard, the only way to get a lifesaving antitoxin serum to Nome was through sled dog teams. Incredibly, a relay of 20 teams managed to deliver the medication in just five and a half days, in what became known as the “Great Race of Mercy.” Initially, it was Balto, the lead dog of the final, 53-mile leg, who was given all the press attention. But while Balto was certainly a hero, an amazing Siberian husky named Togo, and his musher Leonhard Seppala, were the true saviors of the day. Togo, once a mischievous pup, traversed an incredible 264 miles, far more than any of the other sled dogs. Later, Seppala said, “I never had a better dog than Togo. His stamina, loyalty, and intelligence could not be improved upon. Togo was the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail.”
Smoky
When, in 1944, Ed Downey, an American GI, heard whimpering coming from a foxhole in New Guinea, he carefully went to investigate. Inside, he found an abandoned Yorkshire terrier, who, although already a young adult, weighed only 4 pounds and stood just 7 inches tall. Downey soon sold the tiny dog to Corporal William “Bill” Wynne, who named her Smoky. For the next two years, Smoky went everywhere with Wynne, seeing out the remainder of World War II. Her many achievements included participation in 12 combat missions. She also survived Japanese kamikaze attacks, 150 air raids on New Guinea, and a typhoon in Okinawa, and on one occasion saved Wynne’s life when she warned him of an incoming attack while aboard a landing craft. She even helped with the construction of an Allied airfield in the Philippines when she pulled a telegraph wire through a 70-foot-long pipe, sparing 250 ground crewmen what would have been a dangerous, three-day digging task.
Nemo
On December 4, 1966, the Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam was attacked by a barrage of mortar fire as more than 60 Viet Cong soldiers tried to breach the perimeter. In the early hours of the morning, U.S. Air Force airman Bob Throneburg was sent out on patrol with his K-9 Corps companion, Nemo A534. When Nemo, an 85-pound German shepherd, detected a small group of enemy soldiers, Throneburg released him to attack. In the ensuing fight, Throneburg was hit in the shoulder, while Nemo took a bullet under his right eye. Despite his injuries, Nemo refused to abandon the fight, giving Throneburg time to call for backup. As Throneburg began to lose consciousness, Nemo returned to his handler and crawled on top of him to protect him. Thankfully, friendly soldiers arrived and — after they eventually convinced Nemo to get off Throneburg — both man and dog were taken to a hospital, where they recovered after months of treatment. Throneburg earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal, while Nemo became the face of the K-9 Corps, forever remembered for his loyalty and bravery.
Zanjeer
In 1993, a series of terrorist bombings rocked the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) in India. The blasts killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds more, but it could have been far worse if not for the heroic actions of a Labrador retriever called Zanjeer. Zanjeer was a detection dog with the Bombay Police. At the onset of the bombings, he saved countless lives by detecting a scooter covered with explosives, which he highlighted with his three-bark alert. In the days that followed, he found two more explosive devices planted on the street, as well as more than 7,339 pounds of explosives, 600 detonators, 249 hand grenades, and 6,406 rounds of live ammunition. In his incredible eight-year career, the pup was credited with discovering a further 11 military bombs, 57 terrorist bombs, 175 petrol bombs, and 600 more detonators. It’s amazing to think of how many lives Zanjeer must have saved — and more than fitting that he was honored with a full state funeral upon his death in 2000.
