Unknown soldier with dog, WWI |
A previous post on this blog (“The Trench Dog”) discussed the important role that animals played in the First World War. A further testament to the comfort and companionship that dogs brought to the soldiers is the poem "The Mascot Speaks," published in March of 1919 in the Stars and Stripes, the American military newspaper that described itself as “By and For the Soldiers of the A.E.F.”
Written by an anonymous
American soldier after the war had ended, the poem reminds us that the end of
the war brought new hardships to the pets who had been adopted
by the fighting men.
The Mascot
Speaks
They say I can’t
go back with him,
They say we dogs
are banned.
They told him
that. They didn’t think
I’ve had him
pretty near a year,
Since I was just
a pup.
I used to be a
sort of bum,
And then – he
picked me up.
We’ve slept
together in the rain,
And snow, too,
quite a lot.
Cold nights we
kept each other warm,
Some days we
ate—some not.
Once he went to
the hospital.
I followed. They
said, “No.”
He swore a lot
and told the doc
Unless I stayed,
he’d go.
He’s going to go
home pretty soon
And leave me
here—oh well—
I wonder if dogs
have a heav’n?
I loved this poem. Simple, rhyming,nothing deep to understand, but makes me feel so sad again as to how war affects all. Even the dogs.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more - thanks for reading, Patty!
DeleteRags, that has to be the dogs name. Our farm dogs were called names such as Tip Wag Boy Spot and so on. Rags must have been a long haired something. Regulations didn't understand that the pets were also a large boost to morale in the tedious trench environment. They also performed their duty well as they had better noses and sharper hearing for danger.
DeleteI love your recollection of your farm dogs' names, Alan -- and your perceptive comments on all that dogs did for the soldiers. Thanks for reading and responding.
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