Animals of WWI | Page 11

Prince followed Private Brown's friend, Weaver, when he took his horse up the line to distribute food. He would sit on the horse's saddle with the reins in his mouth. However, Prince earned his keep many times over by killing the rats in the trenches. It is recorded that he killed 137 rats in one day. 

Much to everyone's deep sorrow, Prince disappeared one day. It was very upsetting to the soldiers to think that Prince may have been killed, which was always a risk in the trenches. However, a message came from another unit ten miles away that Prince was with them. It seems that they had a terrier dog that was in heat. 

Prince survived the war and returned to England. Because Private Brown could not afford the cost of the six-month quarantine that was required by England, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came to the rescue. (The RSPCA was instrumental in helping war animals meet England's quarantine requirements.) 

Prince was so popular and well known that, until his death, people would send him cards and visit him. One Scotsman even sent him a Christmas cake.

Prince followed his owner to the battlefield!

risus eget nisi porta ornare

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