Regimental Dog
The Regimental Dog of the 25th Regiment, c1771. NAM 1974-02-126
'The best thing about a man is his dog.' - French proverb
A message dog leaps a trench, c1916.
NAM 2002-02-589-103
The regimental dog is part of a long tradition in the British Army of including pets ‘on the strength’, that is, animals that are fed and housed at regimental expense. Recently the Army boasted an official count of as many as 1,300 dogs.
As well as being regimental pets, dogs have also been used as messengers, trackers (‘groundhogs’), to sniff out explosives (‘wagtails’), for patrol and guard duties. Several regiments also have an official animal mascot, although there is currently only one dog, an Irish Wolfhound, the mascot of The Irish Guards.
The regimental dog in the oil painting accompanied the 25th Regiment of Foot on service overseas, while on garrison duty in Menorca (Minorca) from 1769 to 1776. It is thought that the Colonel, Lord George Lennox, commissioned this set of paintings that records moments of their everyday life on the island in great detail. It even includes this faithful hound placing his paw on a soldier’s knee.
