Photos: U.S. Coast Guard (middle), documentary film screen shots (top and bottom)
The U.S. Coast Guard trained 3,000 "War Dogs" for World War Two beach patrol duty as enemy submarines prowled our shores.
The canines were subject to strict physical standards, age limits and rigorous drills with their Coast Guard handlers at training schools at Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The dogs were subjected to a seven to 10-day orientation followed two weeks of basic training. "Heel" was the first command they learned followed by "sit," "down," "cover," "stay," "jump," "get him" and "let go," according to the U.S. Coast Guard at War, Volume XVII.
Handlers took complete charge of the dogs, from feeding to petting - and no one else was permitted to befriend the four-legged Coasties. Once trained, the dogs patrolled at night on leash.
As the threat of invasion ebbed, the Coast Guard war dog program wound down, with the schools closing in 1943.
The U.S. Coast Guard trained 3,000 "War Dogs" for World War Two beach patrol duty as enemy submarines prowled our shores.
The canines were subject to strict physical standards, age limits and rigorous drills with their Coast Guard handlers at training schools at Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The dogs were subjected to a seven to 10-day orientation followed two weeks of basic training. "Heel" was the first command they learned followed by "sit," "down," "cover," "stay," "jump," "get him" and "let go," according to the U.S. Coast Guard at War, Volume XVII.
Handlers took complete charge of the dogs, from feeding to petting - and no one else was permitted to befriend the four-legged Coasties. Once trained, the dogs patrolled at night on leash.
As the threat of invasion ebbed, the Coast Guard war dog program wound down, with the schools closing in 1943.
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