Canine Commandos: The Heroism, Devotion, and Sacrifice of Dogs in War

by Nigel Cawthorne

DOGS IN WAR
From World War I battlefields to present-day Afghanistan, dogs have been the loyal companions and trusted compatriots of soldiers worldwide. Now the exciting, heartwarming and heroic stories of history’s most famous combat dogs are compiled in this incredible collection.
• CAIRO , SEAL Team Six’s Belgian Malinois, who was choppered in with his top-secret unit on their heroic mission to take out Osama bin Laden.
• RAGS , a Highland terrier who dodged German shell-fire, shrapnel and poison gas to deliver crucial messages to the Western Front.
• GANDER , the Canadian Royal Rifles’ Newfoundland, who sacrificed his life by scooping up a grenade and carrying it in his mouth away from his unit.
• EBONY , the fearless German shepherd who alerted soldiers to an imminent ambush, saving 25 men from sudden death in Vietnam’s unyielding jungle.
• COOPER , the bomb-sniffing Labrador who relentlessly scoured Iraq for explosives until the fateful day when an IED killed him and his handler.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book shortly covers the beginnings and early history of dogs in warfare up to World War 1 and then looks more on individual dogs from World War 1 and 2, the Vietnam War and the War on Terror. Some dogs' stories are short (1 paragraph), while the more well known dogs have a few pages dedicated to them, though these are mostly summaries from books written about them. A highlight of the book for me though was the few pages on 9/11 dogs. Quick read, but not a great book.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Animal abuse becomes a virtue when it comes to war mongerers. Nice.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick feel good book.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a fun and light read. Though some of the stories have a certain Private Jessica-tone to them. As if the dog's accomplishments were exaggerated in order to tell a good story.