Famous Dobermans in history: war dogs and breed origins

Part 1

Kurt and the Doberman war dog platoons of World War II

American soldiers were impressed by the Doberman's loyalty and courage during World War II, and this experience led the United States Marine Corps to adopt the Doberman Pinscher as its official war dog. During the Battle of Guam in 1944, sixty dogs and ninety handlers served with the Third Marine Division and the First Provisional Marine Brigade, and most of the dogs were Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherds. Marines called these dogs devil dogs, and the animals worked as sentries and scouts, sniffing out snipers, warning of ambushes, detecting land mines, and searching caves and pillboxes. Many Marines said they slept better at night knowing the dogs were guarding their foxholes. A nonprofit called Dogs for Defense let American families loan their dogs to the war effort, and the Doberman Pinscher Club of America also supplied many of the war dogs.

• Worked as sentries and scouts on patrol
• Searched caves and pillboxes for hidden soldiers
• Detected land mines and booby traps
• Guarded camps from attacks at night

On the second day of the battle, a Doberman named Kurt alerted his platoon to a large Japanese force hidden in the jungle ahead of them. A Japanese soldier threw hand grenades at Kurt after realizing the Marines had been spotted, and Kurt was badly injured, with several vertebrae clipped and his spine exposed. He died later that night, becoming the first war dog killed during the Battle of Guam, and his warning is said to have saved the lives of 250 Marines. His handler, Private First Class Allen Jacobson, is said to have refused treatment for his own wounds until Kurt had been evacuated.

Twenty-five dogs were killed during the liberation of Guam, and another twenty were wounded. The dogs were first buried near the Asan River, and in 1994 their remains were moved to the National War Dog Cemetery at the US Naval Base in Guam. A bronze statue of Kurt, created by sculptor Susan Bahary, watches over the cemetery, and the memorial is inscribed with the names of the twenty-five dogs who died. If your own dog ever visits a memorial like this one, it is worth remembering that dogs did real, documented work in that war.

Part 2

Doberman Pinscher origins and the man behind the name

Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann worked as a tax collector in the town of Apolda, and he also ran the local dog pound, which gave him access to many kinds of dogs. Collecting money took him through dangerous, bandit-infested areas, so around 1890 he set out to breed a dog that would protect him, combining strength, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. After Dobermann's death in 1894, the Germans named the breed Dobermann-pinscher in his honor, and a half century later they dropped the word pinscher because it no longer fit the dog's appearance. The British made the same change a few years later, and two other breeders, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening, continued developing the breed into the dog seen today.

If you own a Doberman, this history may explain why your dog is so alert and attentive to you. Whatever your dog's breed, the Guam story is a reminder that dogs have carried real responsibility in difficult moments throughout history.