Dogs were probably useful as hell on the battlefield way back when. In the days when wars were fought with swords and spears, a quick dog with sharp teeth was probably as effective as most infantrymen. But as heroic and generally badass as canines can be, there surely wasn't much use for them in war once guns and artillery became the norm.

5 Rags the Terrier

Via Wikipedia

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Some soldiers are just blessed with luck, regardless of species. A prime example of this is a mongrel terrier in WWI-era Paris.

The dog was literally stumbled upon by James Donovan, an AWOL American soldier. When Donovan was confronted by the Military Police about running away from his unit, he saw the little ball of fur as his ticket away from court martial. He bullshitted the way back into his unit with the excuse that he'd been hunting the dog all along ... because it was their mascot. Somewhere along the line he named the dog Rags, using the time honored method of "its name is what it looks like."

Via Dnbhistory.com

The soldier's nickname was "Ears McFlophat."

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The bluff worked, largely thanks to the dog, who turned out to be friendliness incarnate and quickly won over the MPs and the commanding officer of Donovan's unit, who promptly made Rags' mascot status official. Rags enjoyed his new gig thoroughly and thanked his new human friends the only way a dog can -- with googly eyes, a wagging tail and impromptu face-licking attacks. Also, by saving everyone's lives on a daily basis and becoming one of the unit's greatest heroes.

The Heroism:

When Donovan was transferred to the frontline, he didn't want to risk Rags' life, so he left the little guy behind. The dog, however, wasn't having any of it, and tracked Donovan to the trenches. Realizing that the pup was good at finding his way around, Donovan adapted a secondary strategy: He taught Rags how to run messages between the command and the frontline.

Via Dnbhistory.com

"We'll just ... tuck this into your collar, shall we?"

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Rags took his promotion incredibly well, regularly delivering important messages despite constant gunfire, explosions, distracting smells and other stuff custom made to lead a dog astray. He wasn't just doing his part, either -- he constantly watched and studied the things the soldiers around him did. When the men hit the dirt upon hearing a shell, Rags would mime their actions.