Book Review -- "From Stray Dog to World War I Hero"

     Last week, I revealed my picks for the best dog and cat book of the year.  Today, we start a new year of reviews with a book that I enjoyed very much.  "From Stray Dog to World War I Hero" written by Grant Hayter-Menzies tells the story of a dog named Rags who became a hero dog and mascot of the U.S. First Division forces during the first world war.
     Rags began his life on the streets of Paris.  He probably would have remained a stray if he hadn't meet a U.S soldier named Donovan.  Donovan trained Rags as a messenger dog.  Rags also became very proficient at finding broken signal cables.  During the course of the conflict, Rags would also locate wounded soldiers, and he warned the soldiers of oncoming artillery barrages.
     During one battle, both Rags and Donovan were severely wounded.  Orders were given that Rags and Donovan were not to be separated, and they eventually came to the United States.  However, Rags had to be smuggled back into the country because the authorities on the medical ship didn't want a dog on board.
     After the war, Rags also served in important ways.  He was a celebrity dog across the United States.
     This is a well-written book that tells the story of great dog and the men with whom he served.  There is also a lot of good information in the book about life in post World War I America.  I highly recommend this book.