106 British War Dogs 



that the dogs should be given a day in a new point. 

 He however has found, he says, that they have worked with 

 good results after only two hours in a new place. This 

 rapidity of adapting themselves to a new environment 

 has been confirmed by other keepers. On many oc- 

 casions the dogs have arrived at night and within an 

 hour or two have been taken up through the darkness to 

 the front line to be released in the early morning. This 

 sense of direction and remembrance of where they last left 

 their keepers is certainly marvellous. It points to a sense 

 of location which in the human being is much less de- 

 veloped. 



The rate of speed with which the dogs accomplished their 

 journeys was of course an important point, and the fol- 

 lowing statements from different keepers touch on this. 

 While a rapid dog was of greater value than a slow one, 

 still the question of reliability is the most important point 

 of all, and a dog which might not make such a brilliant 

 show on the time sheet, might nevertheless be worth its 

 weight in gold on account of the absolute certainty of its 

 steady if somewhat slower return. On this point Keeper 

 Macgregor says : 



" I wish to let you know that my dogs are doing well 

 over here. I have them running from one company to 

 another. The retriever did 8 kilos, in a little over half 

 an hour and the other in 20 minutes." 



Keeper Ferriby sends the picture of his dogs with their 

 running prize, the result of a competition : 



" I am writing to let you know that my mate Woof 

 and I won the silver cups with my three dogs ' Coffee,' 



