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Rags: Hero Dog of WWI


Rags: Hero Dog of WWI
by Margot Theis Raven
Illustrated by Petra Brown
Sleeping Bear Press, 2014. Nonfiction, unpaginated

A stray dog in Paris during WWI meets an American soldier and it is love at first sight.  Rags and Donovan become inseparable, even when Donovan is sent to the front.  Rags helps Donovan by sensing incoming artillery and finding breaks in the communications cable Donovan maintains.  When both Donovan and Rags are wounded, they find comfort in each other's company. Raven includes a preface about dogs in wartime and a end note about what happened to Rags after the war.  Raven's sweet story is illustrated with warm realistic watercolors. This true story is a fitting tribute to special dog companions who are loyal no matter what the circumstances.

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