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Show There Wan Be Doc Heroes 1 On Battlefields Of Future p The Societe Nationale du Chien Sanitaire Is Training; Qjj, Dogs of War to Find Wounded Men and Guide the O Stretcher 'Bear,ers to Them :RiJLEPL-COmTBT mimtary kennel at fontainblau THE DISCOVERY OF THE WOUKPED :::::::iKBTHNEGCAP OF A WOUNDED SOLDIER, IN' September, 1007, Dr Granjux, Mr. Lepcl-Coiutct and Captain Tolet, all i three great amateur dog fanciers, con- I ccived the Idea of forming a society for i the purpose of studyiug the training of i dogs to aid the wounded on the field of battle. ( Gcrmnus had already made some experiments experi-ments along this Hue in 1S90. and the results re-sults obtained had been altogether satisfactory. satis-factory. A French society was therefore , formed, grouped around the three pro- , motors, and the Soeleto d'Etudes being dissolved .May D, 100S, on thai day the .ScciCte' Nalloualc du Chien Sanitaire was founded. The Minister of Wnr approved the regulations nnd accepted the position of honorary president. t Mr. A. Lepel-Coihtct. president of the &ocioty, was questioned about the work by a representative of this newspaper. "In past wars," replied Mons. Lepel-Cointct, Lepel-Cointct, "the number of the missing has always been considerable. At Rezon-ville Rezon-ville 0.-I72 were inisiug and 1,307 killed. At Saint Privat there were -1,426 for 1.12G killed and G.700 wounded. Among the missing how many unhappy oues I were there who dragged themselves in a , lust effort toward places of shelter nnd found there only death, for Inck of enre? iTheso groups of tho missing, these sorry 'retreats of the wounded will be more and (more frequent in wars to come. The im-j im-j mediate removal of the wounded durlug action becomes loss and less possible with existing conditions of combat. i Difficulties of Searching. The shelter which might protect unfortunates unfor-tunates against the attacks of the enemy would conceal, them equally from the lit-tcr lit-tcr bearers, more efiecially as Cor the 1 greater part of the time tho search could 'only be made by night aud without lights. jToo feeble to call out to those who arc searching for them, they run a great risk of being abandoned, nt least if the litter bearers ;re not accompanied by dogs accustomed ac-customed to hunting for the lost. Consequently Conse-quently the modern armies should possess pos-sess dogs trained to search for the wounded wound-ed and lo&t-on the field of Iwittle. This idea docs uot date from to-day. It originated in Germany in 1S00 with the two sanitaetab,'und of the battalion of infantry guards It has also been studied in llollaud, In Switzerland, iu Italy and in Eugland. Practical sanction has been acquired. According to Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Johannes, collies during the Anglo-Boer Anglo-Boer war saved tho. lives of homo hundreds hun-dreds of wounded. During the- Rnsso- Japaneso war three dogs sent out by tbo Uermau society at the batllo of Oba-llo,1 among others, rescued twenty-three wounded soldiers who hud been given up. ' Finally, to make known to the public I the utility, the necessity, of these relief I dogs, to develop a taste for the breeding : of these animals and to facilitate their 1 training by setting an example, is an cini-' cini-' uontly humanitarian and patriotic work, "It Is that work for which the Soclote ! Xationule du Chien Snullaire stands, and I it is open to all interested in tins fate of f the wounded. Although of such recent date, it bus already made a good showing. " To it is due tho experiments in 1007 of ! the health service of Bordeaux by Cap-' Cap-' tain Tolet and Surgeou-Mnjor Bichelonnc. j in January, 100S, it gave its patronage " to tho tests which took place at Paris at 1 the Tir Aux Plgeous, and at tho cxhibi-t cxhibi-t tions at Nancy, which have given the C undertaking a considerable impetus. "At the manoeuvres of Bordeaux it wasr. nirposcd to show that the dogs could be i Lrnincd to rescue the wounded, by day md night, over ground that was rough md difficult. TJiat result was fully Jemonstratcd by Captain Tolet with his log, Nelly, which as soon ns she found the wounded man, made a joyful demonstration, demonstra-tion, took his cap, carried it back, and when she was put on the leash, conducted con-ducted the litter bearers to their wounded comrade. At Nancy an 'absolute success was obtained, ob-tained, notwithstanding the difficulties of the ground. There were first a woods where ono could not see more than ten metres ahead; and then a course with deep crevices, cut with a pick, with thickets, thick-ets, full of rolling stones and with clusters of fir trees. The Dog's Role. "It was shown by these tests that in the woods or over rough earth tho dog is capable capa-ble of discovering in a short time the wounded who, having lost consciousness following shock or hemorrhage, nro un-ublo un-ublo to cull for succor. "The object of the society Is so useful that the Minister of War authorized its organization in 100S. lie has, moreover, given us his patronage, as have the Ministers Min-isters of theCoIouics and of Agriculture. We desire to e-.u- jIi in France a breed of these dogs, which, being placed ai the service of the department of health on the day of the mobilization, will give to tho wounded every chance of bolug carried away und saved promptly. "Every dog to e recognized as a dog of the rescue corps must exhibit a standard of proficiency in obedience, rceporticg and searching. The dog ought u make his search before his master by beating the ground in the mauner of a pointer, but at a considerable ilisti.ucc and not by his footsteps. The man representing th-v wounded man should be so concealed that the dog should come -upon him- without finding his footsfc"?. On arrival the dog may bark to warn hi, master oc brinS back some part of his apparel, which is preferable. prefer-able. If be finds no available article of clothing he should fumble In his pockets.' Put on the leash, the dog ought to perform i the work of searching with pleasure aud case. j "All breeds arc provisionally admitted, but shepherd dogs seem the best fitted and the most apt for this kind of service. J The animal comprehends perfectly what V is wanted of him, :lnd numerous examples may bo cited to prove this. During an experiment a cuirassier waa made lo lie I in aythickct, helmet on his head, with the 1 I chin strap tightly fastened and his hands E I in his pockets, so that the dog could I ueither raise the man's helmet nor draw I forth his handkerchief. Tho animal en- I Ii deavored to do so for some time in vain. I He went bock then for his master and J I attempted to enlist his help, but he ob- j stinately refused to follow the dog. 'lie ,1 then went back to the cuirassier and all j j nt once returned in triumph he had j I pulled the plume of the helmet. j I Duties of Owners. I "The owner of every dog eligible to the 1 1 society ought lo ngrec to put the animal j I nt its disposal for every meet, trial or 'I exhibition. In case of war he ought to give him up freely to the military authorities j and sell him only on condition that the il ! dog should continue to belong to the I society. jl "March 14, 1911, the Minister of War J decided to establish a military kennel at 'If Fontalnbleau, the management of which HE was entrusted to Captain Tolet. ml', "Finally, In consequence of numerous Is ' exhibitions by the society at Ccrcottes, Is Rcnnes, Lyons and Paris before the de- J partment of health of the army, and then i at Lille in April, 1912, two of these doga 'I . became members of the Twenty-third sec- jl tion of hospitnl attendants at Nancy by ;1 order of the Seventh district under the l Minister'-of' War... It .is the beginning of "' the entrance of relief dogs Into the French 'ffl army." jl s |