Gander, a Newfoundland dog who started out as a mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada, became a hero for saving many lives of his regiment in the defence of Hong Kong Island during WWII.  Twice Gander’s attack halted enemy’s advance and in a final act of bravery, sensing the danger against a group of wounded Canadian soldiers under intense fire, Gander picked up a live grenade and ran with it in his mouth.  It exploded killing him in action.  Without Gander’s intervention and ultimate sacrifice, many more lives would have been lost.

Gander received the highest honor in bravery and was presented posthumously the Dickin Medal - often referred to as the animals’ Victoria Cross.  The ceremony took place in 2000, some fifty years after his death.  A look-alike Newfoundland dog named Rimshot stood in for Gander to receive the medal in a touching ceremony. The medal is now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

At the insistence of survivors of the battle, Sergeant Gander’s name was listed with those of 1975 men and two women on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall, unveiled in Ottawa, Canada in 2009. A war dog hero honored, alongside his fellow soldiers, by his country and by the world.

Another war memorial is taking shape in New Brunswick on the east coast of Canada. The stature of Sergeant Gander will stand on guard for the brave men and women who sacrificed in the Battle of Hong Kong, December, 1941. May their lives and bravery be remembered always.

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The newly wrapped Muttmobile now features a SUV full of dogs looking out from the windows, making sure that you are not tailgating….

A proposal for an iPhone app designed to locate missing mutts…

…and there are plenty more where it came from! Stay tuned.

Sergeant Chesty XII officially retired last Friday from the U.S. Marine Corps after 7 years of service.  Despite his disciplinary record with three demerits, including sleeping during parade rehearsal and eating a fellow Marine’s hat, Chesty was given full Marine honor at his retirement ceremony, when he walked down the Marine barracks for the last time.

I wonder how a retired Marine usually spend his time?  Perhaps he would appear occasionally on CNN, giving commentary on war and defence;  or pen a book, an autobiography perhaps, if his paws are not too fat for the computer keys.  Whatever it is, I wish Chesty a well-deserved Happy Retirement!

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.  Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

- Groucho Marx

Well done, Moira!

John Burnam,  Vietnam Veteran War Dog Handler, wrote with regards to War Dogs: “As a free nation, we own them this monument, mandated by Congress, and erected in our nation’s capitol of Washington D.C. for the entire world to know and see that they are NOT America’s forgotten heroes”.

On Memorial Day,  be sure to take a moment to remember our fallen heroes.

This is the world’s first ever Mutt Nutt Lapdog Computer, designed for doglovers who often find themselves caught in territory dispute between their laptop and their lap dog.  In my case, Zeus the dog always wins as he persistently worms his way up on my lap and proceeds to lie across the keyboard. 

You can say that this laptop skin design is inspired by the red Dell computer and Zeus, my lap dog.  However, it is no remedy for the territory dispute over my lap, that’s why there is always a doggie lint brush nearby to wipe off the dog hair on the keyboard.

If you want to convert your laptop to a lapdog, send me an email.