These three dogs helped top leaders win World War II

A true warfighting professional knows how to be civilized at armed conflict. And what many military greats learned over the ages is that there's nothing like a friendly animal by your side to keep you calm and centered when things get kinetic. A…
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A true warfighting professional knows how to be civilized at armed conflict. And what many military greats learned over the ages is that there’s nothing like a friendly animal by your side to keep you calm and centered when things get kinetic. And when it comes to friendly animals, a dog is hard to beat.


Here are three dogs that did their part keeping their masters focused during World War II:

1. Gen. George S. Patton’s American Bull Terrier Willie

Gen. Omar Bradley talking to Gen. George S. Patton as Patton’s dog Willie takes a snooze in his favorite chair. Photo: U.S. Army)

Patton acquired an American bull terrier in 1944 and named him “William the Conqueror,” although the dog proved to be anything but aggressive and was actually scared of gunfire. But in spite of his timid disposition Patton loved him like few other living things on the planet.

‘My bull pup . . . took to me like a duck to water. He is 15 months old, pure white except for a little lemin [sic] on his tail which to a cursory glance would seem to indicate that he had not used toilet paper,’ Patton wrote in his diary.

2. Commander-in-chief Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Scottie Fala

FDR and his dog Fala. (Official White House photo)

FDR received his dog Fala from a cousin in 1940 with the idea that a canine companion would keep the commander-in-chief more relaxed during stressful times. The president and his dog became inseparable from that point forward, which arguably made Fala the most famous White House pet of all times.

According to the Daily Mail, the pup was given obedience training before he formally took up residence in the White House in November 1940, where he could be spotted attending press conferences. He even learned how to stand at attention on his hind legs when the national anthem was played.

The adorable Scottie captured the hearts of Americans and became a national symbol as World War II spread across Europe.

3. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Scottie Telek

Ike talking to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox in October of 1943. (Photo: AP)

Like Patton, Ike also relied on a faithful dog during the war.  Telek was surrounded by controversy however, as it was rumored that the dog was co-owned by his mistress and driver Kay Summersby.

‘One day when they were driving in the country, Kay mentioned that she wanted a dog,’ according to Dr. Ronnie Elmore, a professor from Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in an interview with a school publication in 2004 about Ike’s pet.

Though numerous Eisenhower contemporaries have refuted claims of a torrid love affair, Summersby inherited the Scottie after his departure from Europe, further sparking rumors of the intimate bond between the two.