“MONTE” THE PICKET
Thousands of soldiers have suffered from shell shock, which proved to be one of the most trying conditions for the hospital nurses—nerves keyed to the highest tension for days at a time snapped under the whizzing and bursting shells which rained destruction in their midst. Horses frequently suffered from the ill effects of this trying ordeal, but it was a rare occurrence for the dog to be affected by these conditions.
In the month of January following the armistice, two French soldiers appeared at the Refuge accompanied by a collie dog. This dog’s home had been in Montreuil, a small town near Paris, and the soldiers had nicknamed him “Monte.” For four years Monte had served at the front as a picket dog. His nightly service was to accompany a soldier assigned to picket duty, and there through the long night he remained, ever alert to impending dangers. His keen scent and hearing enabled him to detect the slightest suspicious movement on the part of the enemy, and many a brave soldier’s life was saved by his timely warning. The bristling hairs on his body, his erect ears, the swishing of his tail, quietly conveyed to his master the approach of the enemy. The whistling, deadly bullet was beyond his ken and fourteen times in six weeks Monte returned to the lines alone. Each time they found the picket either killed or wounded.
After four years of this nerve-racking service, Monte was mustered out and returned with the two surviving soldiers of the original company. He was suffering from shell shock and returned to the Refuge as a patient. It was really pitiful to watch him in his sufferings. Worn out from physical weariness he would drop off into a light sleep, when suddenly he would bound to his feet, ears pointed and every individual hair on his body standing erect. This was followed by severe trembling indicative of shattered nerves.
I made many attempts to photograph Monte, but with futile results. I finally hit upon a plan to place him on a park bench and was partially successful in obtaining a fairly good likeness, as you will note by the above picture.
“Watchful Waiting.”