Sgt. Stubby, the heroic war dog, is getting his own movie

First World War hero Sgt. Stubby, a Boston Terrier who fought in the trenches with the American 26th Infantry Division and was credited with saving many of their lives, is the titular character and focus of a new animated movie hitting screens in 2018.

"Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero" is coming from Fun Academy Motion Pictures and tells the story of the amazing canine and his main soldier, Cpl. Robert Conroy.

The two met as the Connecticut 1st and 2nd infantry regiments were mustering and drilling in Camp Yale, Connecticut. Stubby wandered up to the training soldiers and began marching with them. Neither Connecticut regiment could muster the required 1,000 soldiers to form their unit, so they bonded together into the 102nd Infantry Regiment.

Then-Pvt. Robert Conroy assumed responsibility for Stubby and smuggled him onto the SS Minnesota with the 102nd. Stubby served predominantly as a mascot when the unit arrived in France, but began to take a more active role as a sentry.

He began by helping keep sentries awake during duty but soldiers later noticed that Stubby would often react to incoming artillery or gas attacks before the danger was obvious to humans. The doughboys began trusting the dog's actions and taking shelter themselves when he did.

Stubby took part in the 102nd raid against the German town of Schieprey and was wounded by a grenade blast.

He remained at the front and later caught a German spy attempting to slip into the American lines in the Argonne Forest. Stubby held the spy until humans could complete the capture.

Despite the grenade wounds and damage from multiple gas attacks, Stubby continued to serve until the end of the war and was once again smuggled across the ocean. Back in America, he rose to prominence as a celebrity.

He was made a lifetime member of the American Legion, Red Cross, and YMCA. The YMCA even put him on a three bones a day salary in exchange for his assistance recruiting members. General of the Armies John J. Pershing, former commander of all U.S. forces in Europe, personally pinned a medal on Stubby's vest.

That vest has been well decorated with awards, some granted during the war and some, like the gold medal presented by Pershing, were granted after the war.

Stubby continued to live with Conroy until he died in the veteran's arms in 1926.

(h/t Military Times)