Story of a Dog (1945) User Reviews

Interesting look at the U.S. Coast Guard's War Dog Unit...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 7 December 2008]

As short documentaries go, this one is a pretty interesting enactment of how the Coast Guard's War Dog Unit trained dogs for overseas combat during WWII.

The narration is supposedly from the viewpoint of a Doberman being trained by his newly appointed handler and undergoing the vigorous training program all the dogs were subjected to.

It starts with them being processed just as any soldier would be with a medical checkup, weight and height requirement, heartbeat, etc. They are given special rations so they can undergo all the physical training ahead. Most interesting scenes are the interaction between the dogs and their handlers who are responsible for teaching them basic training skills so they would be prepared for combat conditions.

Well presented, it's one of the better short subjects produced by the Warner Bros. Vitaphone unit during the mid-'40s.

Pretty interesting

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 3 March 2008]

This short starts off as a real laugh a minute. It's about the Coast Guard training dogs to be used in World War II. The whole thing is narrated by one of the dogs being trained!!! I literally broke out laughing when I figured that out. I almost turned it off whenever the "dog" started telling some really bad jokes. But it sort of grew on me. It's actually pretty interesting in its own way and I was impressed by some of the tricks the dogs were taught. I really liked the part when the dogs hit the ground with their trainers when a bomb hit. It ends up with an reenactment of a dog helping his trainer capture a Japanese soldier. This was obviously just made as propaganda but it's interesting to watch today in a historical context. Also it was nominated for an Oscar. I give it a 7.

Woof

[boblipton · 6/10 · 18 July 2006]

This RKO short subject is about the training of coast guard dogs, told from the viewpoint of one of the dogs involved -- at least the voice-over narration is supposed to be the reminiscences of one of the dogs, a Doberman Pinscher, leading up to the World War Two service of the dog on a Pacific Island, fighting against the Japanese.

Although not a particularly informative picture, it does have a certain amount of propaganda value, as we watch the action. It is primarily a flag-waving exercise, with the message that dogs are valiant for the sake of the United States, and we, as loyal American humans, watching this movie in the theater, should also be.