226 British War Dogs 



" The Arab, especially south of Kut, is a born looter, and 

 no one, who has not had practical experience out there, 

 can realize the ease, with which an Arab can outwit the 

 very best sentry, be he Indian or British. 



"Dogs, with their keener powers of smelling and hearing, 

 would be most useful in the guarding of dumps and 



magazines. 



" I would suggest that they be trained to kill noiselessly, 



if possible." 



(Signed) Whittall, Lieut. -Colonel 



i/c Oxfordshire Light Infantry. 



I think the following argument of a correspondent to 

 the Glasgow Herald, in favour of sentry and scout dogs, 

 is clearly put : 



" It has always been my opinion— with all deference to 

 those who will dismiss the theory without discussion, but 

 with the comment of ' Rubbish ! '—that, had our troops, 

 when marching to the fatal Magersfontein, had the assist- 

 ance of a few reliable sentinel or scouting dogs, that 

 engagement, instead of being the cause of much humilia- 

 tion and sorrow to our country, would have been another 

 added to the list of glorious victories inscribed on the 

 colours of our Highland regiments. If anyone would say 

 there is no food for thought in this statement, let me ask 

 him, in the first place, if he knows anything about dogs ? 

 Then he may consider how near to the enemy's rifles our 

 men had come when they were first fired on, and, as a 

 matter of fact, ambushed and trapped. How much 

 farther away would a trained sentinel dog have warned 

 them that they were coming nearer to the enemy than 

 they thought, and, finally, had our troops been warned of 

 the Boers' whereabouts, five minutes before they were, 



