272 British War Dogs 



but for those of the smaller size, less will be sufficient, and 

 the surplus amount will be available for the dogs of the 

 very large varieties, on the guard dogs section, which 

 require at least a bowl and a half. There are always a 

 certain number of dogs which arrive at the school in an 

 underfed, poor condition, and these will require extra 

 feeding. Therefore, a second service of food must always 

 be available daily. The great test as to whether the head 

 cook is doing his work satisfactorily, is to be found in 

 observing if there is any food left in the bowls as a whole, 

 apart from those apportioned to dogs which may be tem- 

 porarily off their food. If the food has been properly 

 cooked and mixed, the bowls will be found to be quite 

 empty, but if there is any left over, inquiry should at once 

 be made into the capabilities of the head cook. The dogs 

 that require extra feeding, should, in most cases, be placed 

 under his particular care as to their food, and he should 

 carry on this treatment in conjunction with the head 

 nurse kennelman, who will also be watching the general 

 health of these animals which require this extra attention, 

 while not actually needing removal to the hospital. During 

 the war, it was, of course, impossible to obtain milk, or fish, 

 for extra feeding purposes, or for sick dogs ; but it was 

 found, that by utilizing the best portions of the meat, 

 and making strong soups, wonderfully successful results 

 were obtained with weakly dogs. Much of this success, 

 however, depends on the intelligence and capacity of the 

 head cook, and he is a very important person indeed in 

 the War Dog School, as the welfare of the entire kennel 

 is, to a great extent, in his keeping. A meal of raw meat 

 makes a change, which the dogs enjoy very much, and 

 Sunday is a good day to select for this, as it involves less 

 labour. A feed of plain, uncooked biscuits can sometimes 



