Sergeant Stubby (1916 – March 16, 1926) was a dog and the official mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment (United States) and was assigned to the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, found and comforted the wounded, and allegedly once caught a German soldier by the seat of his pants, holding him there until American soldiers found him. His actions were well-documented in contemporary American newspapers.
Stubby has been called the most decorated war dog of WWI, and the only dog to be nominated for rank and then promoted to sergeant through combat. Stubby’s remains are in the Smithsonian Institution.
Stubby is the subject of a 2018 animated film.
Early life
Stubby was described in contemporaneous news items as a Boston Terrier or “American bull terrier” mutt. Describing him as a dog of “uncertain breed,” Ann Bausum wrote that: “The brindle-patterned pup probably owed at least some of his parentage to the evolving family of Boston Terriers, a breed so new that even its name was in flux: Boston Round Heads, American…and Boston Bull Terriers.” Stubby was found wandering the grounds of the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut in July 1917, while members of the 102nd Infantry were training. He hung around as the men drilled and one soldier in particular, Corporal James Robert Conroy (1892-1987), developed a fondness for him. When it came time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the troop ship. As they were getting off the ship in France, he hid Stubby under his overcoat without detection. Upon discovery by Conroy’s commanding officer, Stubby saluted him as he had been trained to in camp, and the commanding officer allowed the dog to stay on board.
Military service

In his first year of battle, Stubby was injured by mustard gas. After he recovered, he returned with a specially designed gas mask to protect him. Thus learning to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, locate wounded soldiers in no man’s land, and—since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans—became very adept of alerting his unit when to duck for cover. He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne, leading to their unit’s Commander nominating Stubby for the rank of Sergeant. Following the retaking of Château-Thierry by the US, women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat upon which his many medals were pinned. He was later injured again, in the chest and leg by a grenade. He ultimately had two wound stripes. At the end of the war, Robert Conroy smuggled Stubby home.
After the war
After returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and had marched in, and normally led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. He also appeared on vaudeville stages owned by Sylvester Z. Poli and was awarded lifetime memberships to the American Legion and the YMCA.
In 1921, General of the Armies John J. Pershing presented a gold medal from the Humane Education Society to Stubby, the subject of a famous photograph and other artistic media. During that same year, he attended Georgetown University Law Center along with Conroy, and became the Georgetown Hoyas’ team mascot. He’d be given the football at halftime and would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans. While still a student at Georgetown, Conroy was also employed as a special agent of the Bureau of Investigation, precursor to the FBI.
Stubby died in his sleep in March, 1926. After his death, he was preserved with his skin mounted on a plaster cast. Conroy later presented Stubby to the Smithsonian in 1956.
Source: Wikipedia