112 British War Dogs 



wire to be frequently cut off, and making it impossible for 

 runners to be used in the daylight, and so the dogs were 

 very much called for. I was working here for the A. and S. 

 Highlanders, 33rd Div. These men were good with the 

 dogs, and my dogs carried good messages for this battalion. 

 At this time I was doing fourteen days in the line and 

 fourteen out. During these fourteen days, my dogs worked 

 for the Cameronians and Scottish Rifles, two good bat- 

 talions for dogs. My next fourteen days was the same 

 position with the 1st Middlesex Batt. and 1st Queen's. 

 At this time I had a new dog called ' Tiger,' who was a 

 good reliable dog. I never knew him to fail. He carried 

 good messages in very regular time. The route he ran over 

 was very heavily shelled. At the end of fourteen days, I 

 returned to the compound, which was still at Houtkerk. 

 I went forward again to the same place, reporting to the 

 A. and S. H. Batt. H.Qrs. and the 1st Batt. 119th Regt. 

 U.S.A., where ' Betsy ' did some fine work. Always doing 

 12-15 hours' forward duty and returning in good and regular 

 time. Usual time 10-15 minutes, often wet and covered 

 in mud. The U.S.A. troops were good with the dogs. My 

 dogs carried Sealed Code, Maps and other messages from 

 raiding troops. After being buried in this sector by a 

 shell, I returned to Etaples, not going up again as the 

 Armistice was signed." 



Keeper Dempsey gives a graphic description of his work 

 in the field. Conditions were, by now, getting much easier 

 for the keepers, as the work of the dogs was understood by 

 the officers under whom they had to work. At the same 

 time it is extraordinary the amount of prejudice there has 

 been to overcome. I have come across officers with a pile 

 of official reports on successful dog work in front of them, 



