Month: January 2021

3 Of the Most Famous War Dogs

Nemo

            Nemo was a German Shepherd that fought during the Vietnam War. He was born in 1962. Two years later, Nemo started his career with the Air Force. In 1966, his handler Bryant and him went to Vietnam. They were assigned to the Security Squadron, at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. A few months later, Byrant rotated back to the US, while Nemo was paired with different handlers. He was paired with Robert Thorneburg. In December, Thorneburg and Nemo went onto patrol, away from base. Soon after, Nemo sensed that there were enemy soldiers around. He informed Thorneburg. Thorneburg tried to inform his base that he was under attack, but it was too late. The enemy soldiers started to shoot at Nemo and him. Thorneburg let Nemo go and started to fire back at the enemy soldiers. Nemo would alert Thorneburg when there was another enemy soldier. But during all this, Thorneburg and Nemo were both hit. Thorneburg was hit in the shoulder. Nemo was shot in the nose. This affected his eye, but Nemo didn’t stop fighting. He went to attack the enemy soldier. This gave enough time for Thorneburg to call for help. After Thorneburg called for help, he became unconscious. Nemo crawled to his handler and laid on top of him. This was to protect his handler from harm. When the other soldiers were able to come, Nemo would not move off of THorneburg. This is because Nemo was trained to stay with his handler and keep him safe. But a former handler was able to remove Nemo. They both got medical help and survived this event. Nemo’s right eye was taken out. Thorneburg’s shoulder never fully healed. Thorneburg and Nemo were reunited in a hospital. This was the last time they would ever see each other. Soon after, Nemo was retired. He had a kennel in Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio. This is where he later passed away, at the age of 11 years old. His kennel is kept there as a memorial to him.

Resources:

Five Famous War Dogs

https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2017/11/07/a-soldier-and-the-dog-that-saved-his-life

Stubby

            Stubby, one of the most famous war dogs. Stubby was said to be a Pitbull mix. But there are still disagreements about what type of breed Stubby was. He was an abandoned dog, found wandering on Yale University campus. The soldiers, in training, took a liking to her. Later on, the soldiers were deployed to France. Stubby ended up going with them. We aren’t informed on how he got there. But it is said that Cpl. John Robert Conroy snuck Stubby on to the ship. When Stubby was found, he was able to stay on the ship. This was because when the captain of the ship found him, he saluted to him. Stubby had his heroic moments, while in France. One time, Stubby was able to save an entire division. He had located a German spy, but this was not his only talent.  He was also able to learn how to find bombs and inform the soldier about them. Stubby ran through the trenches, to inform the soldiers if there was going to be a gas attack. He would go out into no-man’s land and stand by the injured soldiers. He didn’t only alert the soldiers of bombs and gas attacks. He also gave the soldiers comfort and support. But Stubby was not always the easiest dog to take care of. He would wander off for weeks, but would always come back. The soldiers would worry about where he was off to, but he would always come back. Even when the soldiers were moving around, Stubby was able to find then. He even found his way back, after being ‘adopted’ by a French soldier. Stubby had successful exploits. But he did not escape without any wounds. He even got gassed. But in 1926, Stubby passed away, in Conroy’s arms. He is not forgotten though. He is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. There was a movie that came out called “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero”.

Resources:

Five Famous War Dogs

https://www.militarytimes.com/2017/06/07/stubby-s-story-all-about-the-iconic-world-war-i-war-dog-and-star-of-an-upcoming-animated-film/

15 Fascinating Facts About Sgt. Stubby, the Most Decorated US Military Dog

Smoky

            Smoky (Yorkshire Terrier) was the tiniest war dog that has ever served. Her story starts in a jungle, in New Guinea. The soldiers heard some noises and went to go look for what was making the noise. They found Smoky in a foxhole. Her name became Smoky because of her grey, smoke-like fur. The soldier that found her ended up selling her to Corporal William A. Wynne from Ohio. The reason the soldier sold Smoky was because he needed money for poker. Wynne accepted the dog and started training her. He trained Smoky to dance and sing. She would keep the soldiers entertained. She would even go visit hospitals and entertain the injured soldiers. Smoky was a good distraction for the soldiers. But this doesn’t mean that she wasn’t serious about her job. One of Smoky’s famous exploits was on Philippine Island. Smoky pulled a telegraph wire through a small 70-foot pipe. This saved construction time and kept the workers and engineers safe. This was only one of exploits that Smoky did. She also participated in 12 combat missions, survived a Typhoon, survived over 150 air raids, and parachuted from 30 feet in the air. The parachute was made for her. But in 1957, Smoky unexpectedly died. She did not die alone, she was in Wynne’s arms when she passed. The life that Smoky lived was not an easy one, but she was always loyal to her owner and the soldiers. To this day, Smoky is not forgotten. She has a memorial, located in Cleveland Metroparks.

Resources:

Five Famous War Dogs
How A Tiny Yorkshire Terrier Saved 250 US Soldiers During World War II

3 Of The Most Known Dogs

Toto

            Toto, one of the most coveted canine actresses. She was born in California, around 1933. Her original name was Terry. When she was younger, her family were planning on getting rid of her. They got irritated with her because she kept ruining their rug. The family decided to call Carl Spitz, who was a Hollywood dog trainer. Carl Spitz trained the dog in a very short time. After Toto’s training, Spitz expected the owners to come pick her back up. They never showed up and never paid Spitz for his work. She ended staying Spitz’s dog Kennels. But this didn’t last long. Toto started to visit the house and bonding with the family. In 1943, she tried out for her first role. It was Bright Eyes with Shirley Temple. Toto worked with some of the biggest stars, during her time. She even worked with Julie Garland, in Wizard of Oz. She was casted in 17 films. She lived to be 11 years old.

Lassie

            Did you know Lassie was supposed to be a female Collie, but is played by male Collies?  This is true. The first ever Lassie was born in 1940, named Pal. He was a trouble maker. One of his owners thought that Pal was only ever be considered a “pet”. But Weatherwax decided to train him. After Pal’s training, Weatherwax called his owners to come pick him up. But the owners found peace without Pal. They asked Weatherwax if they would take the dog instead of paying for the training. Weatherwax agreed. Weatherwax ran a dog training school. Pal was part of this, but it wasn’t long that he started to feel like family. Weatherwax trained Pal to help the family out, specifically the youngest Weatherwax, Bob, out. Bob liked to explore the property, so the family wanted someone with him. When it was dinner time, Pal would take Bob’s arm. This was a hint to Bob that it was time to head back for dinner. But this was only the start for him. Later on, Weatherwax saw that there was a movie coming out and they needed a Collie. He went to go get Pal, but got a surprise instead. Pal’s fur was matted and tangled. It was filled with burrs. This was because Pal went on a vacation with one of the neighbors, to a ranch. But Weatherwax was determined, so he tried his best to clean Pal. At the end, Pal’s fur was all cut up (because of the burrs). But Weatherwax still took him to the audition. He didn’t end up getting it. But 6 months later, Pal tried out for another role. He landed this role and became Lassie. There are a few movies made after him. In 1958, Pal passed away. He was 18 years old. In present time, all the Collies that play Lassie are male. This is because of how big they are and their fur. Male Collies are usually bigger. This helps make the children look smaller, for a longer period of time. Also, if they use male collies for their fur. Female Collies’ fur start to change, with age. But male Collies last longer. Also, all the Collies that you see playing Lassie are descendants of Pal, the original Lassie.

Balto

            In 1925, there was an outbreak of diphtheria, in Anchorage, Alaska. There was a cure, but it was miles away from where it needed to be, Nome. It was impossible to get the cure to Nome with an airplane. This was because the plane wouldn’t be able to handle the conditions. The only way that the cure could get to Nome would be by sled dogs. So, they got the sled dogs ready. There would be different stops where the dogs would pass on the cure. Balto and his team were the last dogs to take the cure to Nome. It was about 54 miles, with a temperature around -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind was blowing snow everywhere. The human that was with Balto couldn’t see anything, but Balto kept on going. Balto was honored with a statue, but his fame did not last. His owner took him and the other dogs on a circuit, to make some money. He was mistreating the dogs. They were in bad shape, but George Kimble found them in Los Angeles Dime Museum. Mr. Kimble started a campaign to raise money for the dogs. This campaign was a success. Balto and his team ended up in Cleveland. Balto ended up living here for the rest of his life. He passed away in 1933, at the age of 14. His body was taxidermied. It is kept in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. His body is still in the museum.

Fun Fact: The part that Balto ran wasn’t the most hazardous part of the race. The environment was extremely rough for everyone, but Togo and his team experienced the most hazardous part of the race.

Some Of The Strangest Things Found In Storage Units

Animals

            When it comes to animals and storage units, one would think that they do not go along with each other. But to our surprise, there are people that have stored animals in self-storage units. The most common animals that are found in the storage units are cockroaches and snakes. This could be because the animals find their way into the storage unit and can’t get out. The other reason that these live animals are in the storage facility is because the people chose to store the animals. It is confusing on why people choose to pay to have their animals stored. Some of these tenants have abandoned the units and left the animals there. The employees where in for a surprise. It is surprising finding live animals in the unit. But imagine opening up a storage unit and finding a lion staring at you. This would scare anyone, but don’t worry the animal is not alive. It was a taxidermy lion. There have been many instances that employees have found taxidermy animals in the storage units. Most of the time people will store their taxidermy animal in their house. But there are reasons on why someone would move it to a storage unit. Once could be that they didn’t want it in their house anymore, but still wanted to keep it.

Extra Fact: Most of the taxidermy animals were once pets.

Hobbies or businesses

            When it comes to jobs or hobbies, it is possible to run the job or hobby inside a storage unit.  This meaning that you use your storage unit to store extra product. It is not uncommon to do this. But there was someone who had chocolate making equipment in a storage unit. It was known as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ unit. The employee had to ask the tenant to leave because the food could have attracted animals into the storage facility. But I am unsure on who wants to buy chocolate that was made in a storage unit. This does not seem very sanitary.

            Theater is another job that uses a lot of props and sometimes they aren’t always being used. There are times where a theater company will only do the play once and then they will have all these props. They don’t want to get rid of it because they might end up doing the play again, but they are unsure. So they will end up storing the items. Someone once found a 7 foot tall horse in a storage unit. If you have read the Odyssey then you would know that this big horse is a copy of the Trojan horse, talked about in the book. This horse can be only used in this play because there aren’t any other plays/stories that talk about a large horse.

Collections

            Collecting items is not an uncommon thing to do. There are a few reasons that one might want to collect. It might be because the items bring them enjoyment. Another reason could be that it has been passed down from families. Whatever the reason is, collecting items is supposed to be fun and shouldn’t harm anyone. One of the oddest collections found in a storage unit was light bulbs. They found all different size light bulbs. They were from all different decades of time. The light bulbs weren’t damaged, but they weren’t worth much. It did not let us know if the lightbulbs actually worked or what they did with it.

            Another popular item to collect is items from movies, events, or famous people. This could be because the person has a fascination with the subject. Even some actors keep the costume or an item from the show they were in. This is not uncommon. In the 70s, there was an actor that collected items from his own shows. For someone who doesn’t know about the show, we would think that it wasn’t a big deal. But some movie fanatics said that the items he kept were some interesting items. Some of them were a bill of sale for a famous horse and a canoe.