Things aren’t always what they seem. Smoky, a 17 cm Yorkshire Terrier, was a soldier in WWII! She saved 250 soldiers by carrying phone cables through underground pipes, ensuring communication at a base in the Philippines.

 

Her owner, Bill Wynne, was in the 26th Photo Recon Squadron of the 5th Air Force in the Pacific. Smoky joined him on many recon and rescue missions.

 

Smoky’s legacy lives on as the first therapy dog, comforting wounded soldiers. She slept with Bill but spent her days visiting injured men with nurses, lifting spirits in field hospitals.

 

Smoky earned several valor medals and has monuments in the US and Australia. Have you heard of therapy and emotional support dogs? Look up more about Smoky and therapy dogs!