Major: A Soldier Dog

Book excerpt: The incredible story of the War Dog program as seen through the eyes of Major, a World War Two soldier dog. During WWII, the U.S. Military established the Fort Robinson War Dogs Training Center in western Nebraska, training over 17,000 “dogs for defense” and deploying them to battlefields and installations all over the world. At the beginning of the program, without a ready supply of dogs to train, the U.S. government asked civilians throughout the region to volunteer their dogs for service. Thousands answered the call, and their pets served our country courageously as guards, scouts, messengers, sled runners, and more. Told from the point of view of Major, a border collie based on a real dog from North Dakota, Major: A Soldier Dog tells the incredible story of the War Dog program through his eyes, following him through the heartbreaking separation from his family, the training at Fort Robinson, his harrowing war service in Italy, his return home for detraining and discharge, and finally the tearful reunion with his family.