Rover, Spot, and Fido go to war
The American Pet Products Association announced that pet industry expenditures in the U.S. reached $158 billion in 2025. Additionally, dog ownership has increased from 51% of U.S. households in 2024 to 53% in 2025. People now treat our beloved pets as if they were children.
That was not true in the 1940s. Most dogs still lived outside and ate table scraps, even though commercial dog food was available. So, imagine what it was like when the government asked you to give up your dog to help win the war. Many people regarded giving their dog to military service as an act of patriotism. Others donated their dog because they could no longer afford to feed it.
Knowing the military’s need for canines, breeder Alene Erlanger convinced the American Kennel Club and the Professional Handlers Association to create the Dogs for Defense program in January 1942.
At the start, thirty-two dog breeds and some crossbreeds were accepted. By 1944, Dogs for Defense only accepted German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Belgian Sheepdogs, Collies, Siberian Huskies, Malamutes, and Eskimo dogs.
During the first two years of the program, Americans donated approximately 40,000 dogs, with 18,000 accepted for training. Temperament, size, or medical problems led to the rejection of a further 8,000 dogs. In their eight-week program, dogs and handlers first learned general obedience before moving on to training for sentry duty, scouting and patrol, messenger, and mine detection. More than 1,800 war dogs patrolled along the east and west coasts of the U.S. during WWII.
Breeder James Austin figured out a creative way to raise money for Dogs for Defense. People unwilling to donate a pet, or owning a pet that was too small, too old, or a needing a working animal could enroll these canines in the Home Guard. With 11 ranks available between $1 and $100, your dog could be a private/seaman up to a general/admiral depending on the service branch you chose. Even President Roosevelt enrolled his famous Scottish Terrier, Fala.
However, not all agreed Dogs for Defense was a good idea. A woman wrote, “The Army has my husband, two brothers-in-law, and my father-in law. The Navy has one of my brothers and the Government two more. I think that is enough.”—Quoted in Dogs for Defense: American Dogs in the Second World War by Fairfax Downey. Heartbroken children frequently sent their pet’s favorite toys and blankets along with notes begging the military to keep their beloved dog safe.
Loyal and obedient companions, dogs accomplished many tasks that were unsafe for soldiers. Their handlers lauded them as heroes and loved them greatly. However, many dogs perished in action.
At the end of the war, war dogs returned to the U.S. Since the government owned the dogs, they sold them unless the original owners reclaimed them. The price was $14-$24 depending on shipping distance. The military offered first choice to families whose pets had been killed in action.
Pal is fitted for a parachute harness. Rescue teams dropped pack and sled dogs by parachute to help pilots forced down in Northwestern Canada. A flight surgeon guided the dogs down while carrying food and medical equipment.—Courtesy of the National Archives
Veterinarians vaccinated returning dogs for rabies and examined them for contagious diseases. They euthanized dogs with leptospirosis or scrub typhus, as well as a small number that were too aggressive or suffered too greatly from PTSD. Handlers retrained healthy dogs to re-enter civilian life.
In my novel, Dear Nora, Mother writes to Nora on July 8, 1944: “I read a sweet story in the paper about seven Marine dogs sent back to the U.S. from Bougainville. They are suffering from shell shock. One received a canine equivalent of a Purple Heart and another is the mother of nine pups.”
Photo caption: Seven dogs say goodbye to their families as they wait for shipment to Front Royal, Virginia.