Dogs with Foreign Armies 2.37 



tion as to avoiding collision with the kerb. Whatever may 

 have been the treatment accorded to their dogs by the 

 French in the past, it is certain, that at this time, they look 

 upon their draught dogs as very valuable assets in con- 

 nection with their work, and they treat them well. 



These four kennels were the embryo of the entire messengt r 

 dog service in the French Army. From them arose the 

 large training establishment at Satory, which corresponded 

 to that started for our own army at Shoeburyness about 

 the same time. The Commandant of the French School 

 was Captain Malric, an officer who had before the war 

 devoted a considerable time to the study of trained dogs, 

 and had experimented with them as sentries while on 

 service in Madagascar. The method of recruiting the dogs 

 in France was rather different from that employed for our 

 own army. The dog clubs of France were asked to co- 

 operate for this purpose, and each club took over a certain 

 section of the country, from which they drew the suitable 

 and available dogs. Many of these were gifts and others 

 were strays. There is not the same choice of suitable 

 material in France as in England, as there are not so many 

 varieties of breeds, but the different types of shepherd dogs 

 — fde Brie, de Beauce, and Alsatian and Belgian)— were 

 excellent for the purpose, and as many English Airedales 

 and Scotch collies were obtained as possible. These were 

 all sorted out, according to their capabilities, and trained 

 as messengers, as sentries and patrols, or as draught and 

 pack dogs. The proportion of dogs cast altogether was 

 smaller than in the British training school, owing to the fact, 

 that so many dogs, which were incapable of learning the 

 first two duties, could quite easily be trained for draught 

 work. Two dogs easily drew two hundred kilos., and they 

 were harnessed to little carts. The pack dogs were able 



