Various types of terriers have had cameo roles in war. This is another one of those tales.
The dog in question is a 4-pound Yorkshire terrier by the name of "Smoky" whose famous feat is that she carried a line through a 70-foot-long drainpipe beneath an airplane runway in the South Pacific in World War II. Why this was important is not entirely clear.
In any case, "Smoky" also flew 12 combat missions with former Cleveland Plain Dealer photographer Bill Wynne, was one of the first therapy dogs in the U.S., and starred in a postwar television show as well as a book on her exploits.
Believe it or not, this little dog already has monuments erected to it in Eastlake and Columbus, Ohio as well as Tennessee, Missouri and Hawaii. Now a sixth monument is to be erected in Cleveland, this one a bronze statue of the dog wearing a helmet.
Bill Wynne, Smoky's owner, taught Smoky to play dead, run between his legs as he walked along, walk on a drum, peddle a small scooter, walk on a tight wire blindfolded, and spell out her own name using letters cut out of cardboard.
After the War, Smoky and Bill were in show business for 10 years doing tricks, and Bill spent some time training and handling dogs in major studios.
This post is recycled from March 2005.
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2 comments:
QUOTE "Smoky" whose famous feat is that she carried a line through a 70-foot-long drainpipe beneath an airplane runway in the South Pacific in World War II." UNQUOTE
I assumed that means they needed to run an important communication or power line under the runway and she pulled a smaller line through the pipe so they could then draw the necessary cable through it. Now that's a terrier doing a proper job!
Excellent post for Veteran's Day. Thanks
Thanks for re-posting these war dogs stories. A great read for Remembrance day.
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