Dog of War Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pal

Probably born in 1939, the big puppy named Pal began life as the pet of a family named Hayden, who lived near the airport in Gander, Newfoundland. A photo exists of him pulling a sled carrying three children, and sources say that he was, for the most part, very good with the little ones.

Answer: Newfoundland

In its home province of Newfoundland (and Labrador), especially when it was still a Dominion (before 1949), only black or Landseer (black and white) versions of the breed were considered true Newfoundlands, though grey and brown examples do exist. With water resistant coats and webbing on their paws, they're excellent working dogs for a fishing community, being adept at water rescue and other duties requiring swimming.

Gander's coat was pure black, and he was probably over 65 kg (143 lbs) in weight when he reached adulthood.

(The incorrect choices are much smaller breeds.)

Answer: Royal Rifles of Canada

The first battalion of the Royal Rifles of Canada had been stationed near the airport at Gander, Newfoundland, for some time and already knew the big dog who often visited the airport, sometimes sleeping on the runway! After an incident that caused his family to think it unwise to have such a big dog while their children were small, the Rifles were happy to adopt him as their mascot.

They renamed him Gander after their base.

Answer: Sergeant

Sergeant Gander wore the stripes of his rank on his harness, and also had an official number, a kit bag and a handler named Fred Kelly. According to the TV show "Pet Heroes", Gander slept in the barracks with the soldiers and was considered a part of the unit. Robyn Walker, author of "Sergeant Gander: A Canadian Hero" was interviewed about her research on the same programme.

Answer: Bear

Gander's large size and thick black fur caused this case of mistaken identity, reportedly on more than one occasion. Photos of Gander confirm how easy it might have been to make such an error, especially from a distance.

Answer: Hong Kong

Elements of the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to Hong Kong to reinforce the British garrison there. Gander's friends in the Rifles made sure that he was allowed to accompany them to their new posting. Only a few weeks after arriving they were under attack by Japanese forces, who had launched offensives in various parts of Asia to coincide with their attack on the United States forces at Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Answer: Carrying a live grenade away from a group of wounded soldiers

Throughout the action at Lye Mun, Gander had taken it upon himself to harry the attacking Japanese by running at them, barking and nipping at their ankles in an attempt to chase them away from his soldier friends. Sometimes it worked, and at least one survivor expressed his amazement that the enemy soldiers didn't shoot Gander.

In the end, however, it was a grenade that had landed close to a group of wounded Canadians that took Gander down. The big dog sensed the danger and picked up the grenade, which went off as he was running with it toward the enemy.

Answer: Specially trained to fight

After the battle was over, some captured Canadian soldiers were asked about Gander, and told that the Japanese soldiers believed he must have been trained to attack them. The reality was that Gander was protecting the other members of his pack, as they were protecting him.

Answer: PDSA Dickin Medal

The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) has awarded the Dickin Medal to a variety of animals since its institution in 1943, including dogs, pigeons, horses and a cat. It was due to the efforts of the Hong Kong Veterans' Association and the Canadian War Museum that Gander's name was submitted to the PDSA for possible recognition. The award was granted in October 2000, almost 59 years after the action for which it was awarded.

The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the Animals' Victoria Cross, and it should be noted that the Battle of Hong Kong also produced a VC recipient in the guise of Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn VC of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Like Gander, CSM Osborn lost his life in performing the deed recognised by the award, also involving a grenade.

Answer: True

The statues were unveiled in July 2015 in Gander Heritage Memorial Park, and are a fitting memorial to this brave 'dog of war' and his human friend, who first met in this place. Gander is also commemorated, at the request of survivors, on the Hong Kong Veterans' Memorial Wall in Ottawa, and by a statue in Bass River, Nova Scotia.