Management of War Dog School 267 



dog to the soldier, and of the importance of the subji I 

 had never been lost sight of in that country in pe 

 time, and the machinery of the organization was in working 

 order when the war commenced. Publicity was pari of 



the machinery. 



The policy of restraint and secrecy which was deemed 

 advisable, at first, by our authorities, made the work vi 

 difficult, and although the restrictions were relaxed ti 

 certain extent, as time went on, even up to the Armist 

 there was always a tendency to keep things dark, and the 

 necessity for active propaganda was never fully recognized. 

 From first to last, the policy of secrecy was a mistake, and 

 the working of the dogs was only hampered thereby. While 

 a good measure of publicity will ensure a knowledge of the 

 work the dogs do percolating through all ranks in the Army, 

 it is also advisable that there should be a certain number 

 of officers and non-commissioned officers, under instruc- 

 tion at the school, whose duty it would be to superintend 

 the work of the dogs and the keepers, when with the 

 various units to which the latter might be drafted. The 

 instruction given to these would be, of course, of a differenl 

 nature, to that given to those men who were to be drafted 

 into the actual dog service, which, of course, would be ra 

 technical, and therefore longer. The period of instruction 

 for the visiting officers and N.C.O.'s would be for -even 

 days, and during that time, they would watch the training 

 of the dogs, and be instructed in the reasons for the regula- 

 tions governing the service in the field. In the case oi the 

 messenger dogs, this would apply to officers and N.( .' 

 of the Signal Service, and if further organization of mes 

 senger dogs is inaugurated in connection with ea< h army 

 corps, then representatives from the various units should 

 be sent to the school. Lectures should be given, both at 



