Pets in the Military

Beth Zimmerman, who writes the blog for Pets For Patriots, explains about Military Working Dogs (MWDs) and adopting them. The legal practice until recently was either to abandon these dogs or euthanize them. They were thought to have no use beyond the military. Public awareness of how these dogs were treated after service to their […]

Throughout history cats have aided armies in their military efforts. Despite the fact that dogs and horses usually the get the glory, cats have also served crucial roles in warfare. Cats have served as mousers, deterring mice and rats from getting at the rations and the weapons. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, Egyptian armies […]

Military dogs go through a rigorous training period and play an undisputed role helping the armed forces in many ways. Unfortunately not only do our soldiers suffer post traumatic stress disorders, but combat can do the same to our 4-legged friends. Still a fairly new concept, it’s estimated that more than 5% of military dogs […]

Pets participated in the Civil War in a number of ways. There were dogs who fought on the front lines, spy dogs, hospital dogs, messenger dogs and prison dogs. Other animals served as mascots for the regiments. Despite orders to the contrary, many soldiers kept pets with them, including dogs, cats, squirrels and raccoons. General […]

Contrary to popular belief, Comanche was not General George A. Custer’s horse. He was the most famous horse in America and was idolized in the latter half of the 1800s. Comanche, a Mustang/Morgan mix, was an army horse, bought in 1868 and sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There a Captain Myles Keough of the 7th […]

Black Jack was a coal black Morgan/American Quarter Horse mix. He was named after General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing of World War I fame and served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment known as The Old Guard. Black Jack was born in Oklahoma, January 19, 1947 and began army life in 1952. He had […]