Butch
Posted by Anne Corke on 2009-03-19. Filed under Monthly Feature
Today, the concept of a working dog is not unusual: From therapy dogs, tracking dogs, guide dogs, herding dogs, search dogs and police dogs, the list is endless.
But during World War II, working dogs were a relatively novel idea when the military launched a program called Dogs for Defense. Although dogs had previously been used in minor roles, they hadn't been utilized to any significant extent. Madeleine DeAndreis-Ayres shares the story of one particular canine soldier: her grandparents' dog, the slovenly, mischievous Butch.
"The list is long when citing famous World War veterans. Jimmy Stewart flew B17s, Kurt Vonnegut was in Dresden, the senior George Bush flew torpedo bombers and John F. Kennedy commanded PT boats while Ronald Reagan made propaganda movies.
"In a little known parallel world during the war, there was also Greer Garson's poodle, Cliquot; Mary Pickford's German shepherd, Silver; and Rudy Vallee's Doberman, King. These dogs and many others were enlisted by their patriotic owners into the military where they also served their country. And then there was my grandparents' dog Butch, who could have been the U.S. military's greatest secret weapon. Or, as his family considered him, their most unlikely recruit.
"Butch was a chow and English sheepdog mix, a fat, undisciplined dog that never came when he was called. He lived in San Francisco in the early 1940s when the specter of the Great Depression was still being felt and having an extra mouth to feed every day - even if that mouth was the family pet - was considered a expense.
"Then, in the spring of 1942, a call was issued to patriotic dog owners to enlist their canine companions in the war effort. The fledgling organization, Dogs for Defense, grew out of a need to recruit man's best friend to the cause of freedom. At that time, America had no formal dog program attached to the military.
"The American Kennel Association, along with Dogs for Defense, saw how trained dogs could be utilized to assist in the defense of this country. Sentry dogs, patrol dogs, messenger and mine detection dogs were trained and sent to assist military units all over the world.
"At that time, the need for dog recruits was so great there were very few breeding or age requirements. Dogs for Defense accepted dogs from the wealthiest families and from the poorest, and purebreds trained alongside mutts. Breed distinctions were not recognized until later when it was discovered that certain breeds worked well in specific areas such as tracking or mine detection.
"When it came time to enlist, I would like to say that Butch signed on because of intense patriotism on the part of my grandparents, Frank and Amelia DeAndreis, but that would be rewriting history. Plainly put, Butch was another mouth to feed.
"My grandmother considered the lazy, untrained family dog and figured everyone else was asked to sacrifice for the war effort, why not the DeAndreis family pet? The phone call was made and one foggy day in the spring of 1942, a uniformed soldier came to their house and took Butch off to his new destiny. As far as Butch knew, he was going for a car ride. The out-of-shape mutt, who had enough of the right breeding to meet the basic height and weight requirements, had no idea he wouldn't be returning to dig in his own yard for three years.
"My grandparents said they never knew where Butch was sent to train or what his subsequent military assignment was. There was always a slight but nagging fear that Butch might be sent home with a bad conduct discharge for refusing to come when called or for not keeping a regimental toilet.
"My own dad, Joe DeAndreis, joined the Merchant Marines Cadet Corps in 1944 and later the Navy, serving in the Pacific. Home on leave in 1946, still in his uniform, his mother directed him to the backyard.
"There, sitting obediently was Private First Class Butch DeAndreis, looking the very model of a well-trained canine soldier. Trim, athletic, disciplined, Butch sat ramrod straight and gazed at his comrade in arms.
"His steely eyes never wavered as he waited for my father's "at ease" command. Dad swears the dog saluted him, but admits it could have been his eyes playing tricks as a result of a late night of official military debriefing at Tippy's, a well-known watering hole at 10th and Geary.
"Butch, like all successful Dogs for Defense, received a commendation letter from the War Department and, like all soldiers, regular discharge papers. I wish I could say that his military training and disciplined ways continued to his death, but according to my dad, 'Within three months, he was the same old Butch, undisciplined, gluttonous and slovenly.'
"When my grandfather dug the hole in the yard that would be Butch's final resting place, there were salutes, a modest eulogy, and somebody hummed taps. When his country needed him, it was said that for once in his life, Butch came when he was called."
Eileen Mitchell
in the San Francisco Chronicle
March 18, 2009