In February 1944


 In February 1944, an American soldier found a tiny Yorkshire Terrier in an old, empty trench in the jungles of New Guinea. The dog was later named Smokey. She ended up with Corporal William Wynn from Ohio, who bought her from other soldiers for just 2 Australian pounds. For the next two years, Smokey stayed by his side during the war in the Pacific.


Smokey took part in 12 rescue and photo missions by air and sea. She often rode inside a soldier’s backpack while bullets flew around them. She survived more than 150 air attacks and two big typhoons in Okinawa. Smokey even made parachute jumps from about 9 meters high using a special tiny parachute. Wynn said Smokey once barked and acted nervous right before a bombing, warning him just in time—and possibly saving his life.


One time, Smokey saved a huge amount of work at an airfield. There was a need to lay a cable underground, which would’ve meant digging a long trench and moving 40 warplanes. Instead, they found an old, narrow pipe. Smokey was small enough to fit. With a wire tied to her, she crawled through the whole tunnel after Wynn called her from the other side. She made it through, and the job was done without all that digging.


Smokey is also known as the world’s first therapy dog. During and after World War II, she made injured soldiers smile by doing cute tricks. She worked as a comfort dog for 12 years.


Today, there are six statues of Smokey in the United States. Plus, the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue gives out a yearly “Smokey Award” to honor rescue dogs that do something special that year.


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