This dog disarmed a a World War II bomb by marking it

Explosive ordnance disposal is an extremely dangerous business that requires the highest levels of intelligence, toughness, and discipline. Only the best of the best in the U.S. military can make it through EOD School to earn the coveted “Crab.” Dogs sometimes accompany EOD techs in the field, helping to sniff out concealed explosives. During World War II, however, one dog decided to have a go at disarming a bomb herself.

In 1941, Britain was under constant attack by Germany during the Blitz. The Nazis conducted mass air raids on industrial targets, towns, and cities. The bombing campaign resulted in the destruction of two million houses, over 40,000 civilian deaths, and the injury of thousands more.

Germany dropped 2,393 incendiary devices during The Blitz.

In April 1941, a German incendiary bomb fell through the roof of the house where a Great Dane named Juliana and her owner lived. Juliana reportedly walked over to the bomb, stood over it, and urinated on it. By marking the incendiary device, Juliana extinguished it and prevented the fire from spreading. For her actions, she was awarded the Blue Cross medal. The first animals to be awarded the medal were horses that had served in World War I.

Three years later, Juliana came to the rescue again. In November 1944, a fire broke out in her owner’s shoe shop. Juliana alerted her owner’s family, and everyone was able to evacuate the shop before any lives were lost. For this, she was awarded a second Blue Cross.

Tragically, Juliana died in 1946 after she consumed a poison that was dropped through her owner’s mail slot.

Juliana’s heroic actions were forgotten until a watercolor portrait and her second Blue Cross medal surfaced at a Bristol property clearance auction in 2013. The portrait had a plaque that recounted her disarming the bomb, and the medal described how she alerted her owner’s family to the fire in the shoe shop. Auctioneer Philip Taubenheim described Juliana as “a Great Dane with a great bladder.” Expected to sell for £60, the portrait and medal sold for an incredible £1100.

Though she wasn’t a military working dog, Juliana’s fantastic story highlights the often-overlooked role that animals play in war and proves that dogs are indeed man’s best friend.