K-9 LifeSavers

If you’ve ever thought of your dog as a sailor, be careful, he just might be drafted! K9C Sinbad served 11 years of active duty with United States Coast Guard, complete with disciplinary action, promotions and medals!

A mixed breed dog with an unknown birth, Sinbad was found by Chief Boatswain’s Mate “Blackie” Rother who intended to take him as a gift for his girlfriend. The girlfriend’s apartment did not allow dogs, and since Sinbad acted like a sailor: drinking beer and whiskey and demonstrated seamanship, he was enlisted into service in 1937. With his paw print on the enlistment papers, Sinbad has his own Red Cross identification number, service record and bunk aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter George W. Campbell.  

Sinbad rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, and when the Campbell was damaged during a tour in the Atlantic, Sinbad was among the "essential crew" left aboard the otherwise evacuated ship to keep it afloat as it was towed to Canada for repair. It was Captain James Hirschfield's belief that nothing could befall the ship if Sinbad remained aboard, which may be why today Sinbad's statue in the mess hall of current "famous class" medium endurance cutter USCGC Campbell.

During his service Sinbad was awarded: American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-MiddleEastern Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal and Navy Occupation Service Medal.

He retiring on September 21, 1948 and lived out his life at Barnegat Light station in New Jersey where he frequented Kubel's bar and gazed out to sea from the station. Sinbad died on December 30, 1951 and was buried beneath a granite monument at the base of the light station's flagpole

Huskys have been the subjecy of many a Disney movie, but Balto earned his very own animated movie with the voice of Kevin Bacon.  

In 1925, doctors realized that a potentially deadly diphtheria epidemic was beginning to sweep through Nome, Alaska.  The only medicine was in Anchorage, nearly a thousand miles away, where plane engines were frozen and would not start to transport the medicine.  Officials determined to move the medicine by sled dog, and more than 20 teams worked together to move this medicine through a blizzard and temperatures 23 degrees below zero.

Balto was the lead dog in the sled team that took the final leg of what is now known as the "1925 serum run to Nome," which has been commemorated by the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Balto himself was honored by a sculpture that still stands today in New York's Central Park.  Balto was present at the unveiling on December 17, 1925, just 10 months after he safely delivered the medicine to Nome.  The statue is located on the main path leading from Tisch Children's Zoo and bears the following inscription:

Balto died in 1933 at the age of 14, and his remains were mounted by a taxidermist, and donated to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Chips, a German Shepard Mix, was the most decorated war dog from World War II. During the war citizens including Chip's owner Edward Wren donated their dogs for duty.  In 1942 Chips left his home in New York for training as a sentry dog. His human partner would be Pvt. John P. Rowell and together they traveled to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany as part of the 3rd Infantry Division. 

In 1943 during the invasion of Sicily, Chips and his handler were pinned down on the beach by an Italian machine-gun team. Chips broke away and attacked the gunners, forcing the Italians to surrender to US troops. In the fight he sustained a scalp wound and powder burns, but later that day he still helped to take 10 more Italians prisoner.

For his actions during the war, Chips was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart; however, these awards were later revoked due to an Army policy preventing official commendation of animals. His unit unofficially awarded him a Theater Ribbon with an Arrowhead for an assault landing, and Battlestars for each of his eight campaigns. Chips was discharged in December 1945 and returned to the Wren family.

In 1990, Disney made a TV movie based on his life, entitled Chips, the War Dog, which some of us might have watched repeatedly as kids!