Smoky was probably born in 1943. The tiny Yorkshire Terrier was found by American soldiers in an abandoned fox hole on the island of New Guinea. He weighed about 4 pounds and was 7 inches tall. He was soon sold to Corporal William Wynne for $6. They became fast friends. Wynne was an airman. He slept on a blanket in Wynne’s tent. Wynne shared his rations with the little dog. He went on 12 reconnaissance and rescue missions. He survived 150 air raids and a typhoon on Okinawa. He once saved Wynne’s life when he warned him of a Japanese shell that ended up killing or wounding eight other men. His greatest feat was pulling a telegraph wire through a 70-foot pipe. It was a tight fit and very scary, but Smoky made it through, saving a lot of time and a dangerous task for engineers. Wynne would bring Smoky to hospitals. In one of them, his presence caused an uncommunicative PTSD patient to start talking. He also entertained groups of soldiers like a very tiny USO show. Smoky had a lot of tricks that he could do. When the war ended, he returned home to America and quickly became a national celebrity. He toured the U.S. for many years and appeared on TV doing his tricks. He also was a common sight at veterans’ hospitals. One of his tricks was walking a tightrope blindfolded. He is considered to be the first therapy dog. He died in 1957. In 2022, he was awarded the Animals in War and Peace Distinguished Service Medal. He was the first dog to receive the newly created medal to honor valorous animals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoky_(dog)
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/03/clevelands-own-wwii-hero-smoky-becomes-first-war-dog-to-be-honored-with-distinguished-service-medal.html
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