By David Cardillo, DDNP Staff
During World War I, or “The Great War,” there seemed to be concern that dogs (perhaps pets in general) would be considered non-essential, and thus something that people could do without. The Every Evening, Wilmington Daily Commercial of April 1, 1918 addressed the issue and put to rest any notions of declaring dogs as “non-essential,” like they had with coal, linens, meat, butter, sugar, and many other staples that were rationed during wartime. The article argues that dogs were able to utilize that which man could not, and that staying home and playing with one’s faithful companion rather than go out for a night on the town would help people conserve money, and thus be able to afford more war bonds. Thus, the dog was marketed as “the ultimate conservator.”
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.), 01 April 1918. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Dogs have been a part of the US Military, officially, since March of 1942, during World War II. So the training camp featured in the March 8, 1957 edition of the Milford Chronicle was still a rather new thing for the public to behold. The article describes training German Shepherds for duties such as sentry duty, guarding prisoners, and navigating obstacles for scouting duties.
Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.), 08 March 1957. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
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