DOTD For Friday, March 13, 2026
Today's Drink Is Goin' To The Dogs - And That's A Good Thing!
Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is a Good Shepherd cocktail/mocktail inspired by National K-9 Veterans Day, and the birthday of the U.S. Military K-9 Corps!
Dogs have been associated with the United States Military since its inception, but their role was primarily that of a mascot or other unofficial capacity. Not until World War II did the U.S. Military, under the Army, make the connection official.
The Army had allowed dogs to serve during World War I, and well over a million dogs served on both sides during that war, carrying messages along the complex network of trenches and providing some measure of psychological comfort to the soldiers. The most famous dog to emerge from the war was Rin Tin Tin.
In 1918, actor Leland “Lee” Duncan, a U.S. soldier fighting in World War I, discovered a litter of German shepherd puppies left to die on a bombed-out field in France. Duncan believed the dogs saved him from stumbling into an area filled with land mines, and in gratitude, found homes for the pups. He kept two for himself, naming them Rin Tin Tin and Nanette, after two popular yarn dolls French children gave to soldiers as good-luck charms. Unfortunately, Nanette didn’t survive the journey back to the States, but the handsome Rin Tin Tin did and soon resettled with his dad in Los Angeles.
Since Lee Duncan was an actor, and Rin Tin Tin was handsome, Duncan thought Tin should also become an actor - and at least one studio agreed. In 1922, Tin made his debut in the silent film The Man From Hell’s River, and he would go on to make 26 more pictures. As the first bona fide animal movie star, Rin Tin Tin made the little-known German Shepherd breed famous across the country - and he may have saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy too.
While Rin Tin Tin became a star, the U.S. military largely abandoned their K-9 training program after World War I. When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the American Kennel Association and a group called Dogs for Defense began a movement to revive the K-9 Corps, mobilizing dog owners to donate/draft healthy and capable animals to the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army for their service.
On March 13, 1942, the Quartermaster Corps (QMC) of the United States Army began training dogs for the newly established (or re-established) War Dog Program, affectionately known as the “K-9 Corps.”
The K-9 Corps initially accepted over 30 breeds of dogs, but the list was soon narrowed to seven: German Shepherds, Belgian sheep dogs, Doberman Pinschers, collies, Siberian Huskies, Malumutes and Eskimo dogs. Members of the K-9 Corps were trained for a total of 8 to 12 weeks. After basic obedience training, they were sent through one of four specialized programs to prepare them for work as sentry dogs, scout or patrol dogs, messenger dogs or mine-detection dogs. In active combat duty, scout dogs proved especially essential by alerting patrols to the approach of the enemy and preventing surprise attacks.
The top canine hero of World War II was Chips, a German Shepherd who served with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. Trained as a sentry dog, Chips broke away from his handlers and attacked an enemy machine gun nest in Italy, forcing the entire crew to surrender. The wounded Chips was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
After World War II, the Military Police Corps took over responsibility for training military dogs. They’ve continued to serve with distinction in other conflicts, and in peace time service in the States. It is estimated that the Army employed 1,500 dogs during the Korean War, and 4,000 in the Vietnam War.
Currently, the Army has 578 dog teams which have seen service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The courage and loyalty of these dogs have continued to save lives and prevent injuries since creation of the K-9 Corps.
So here’s to all the good dogs, giving service to the U.S., and really to all good dogs anywhere. We salute you pups with today’s Drink Of The Day - a Good Shepherd cocktail/mocktail!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink:
