This is the story of one man’s struggle to develop the British War Dog School. Richardson began experimenting with military and police dogs in 1898, and in 1910 began petitioning for a British military dog program. He finally received official approval with support of officers who were unofficially, and successfully, using his dogs in the field. Over 2000 dogs were trained and sent to the front to work as Red Cross dogs, messengers, sentries and patrol dogs—the lives saved were estimated in thousands. Cummins recounts not only Richardson’s struggle, but also the history of war dogs through the ages.

This book formed the basis for the documentary Dogs of War on the BBC series Inside Out, broadcast in 2006.

Bryan D. Cummins, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist who has conducted extensive research in the area of ethnocynology (the study of dogs within their cultural contexts). He was a regular columnist and feature writer for the Canadian Kennel Club’s magazine Dogs in Canada. He is also the owner of Bryan’s Books, one of the largest rare, antiquarian, and out-of-print dog book businesses in the world.

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