I have a dog/chicken bone story!
So my dad was the X-O/navigator on destroyers & ATFs in WW2 and they set sail from New York for the invasion of North Africa.
Someone had smuggled a mutt aboard and he became the ship's mascott. The mutt was fearless, he never shuddered as the US Navy fought off the French fleet to invade North Africa.
The mutt never flinched during numerous German air raids.
Later, as the fleet assembled to invade Sicily, the mutt was again fearless. As the fleet staged the invasion of Sicily the mutt stood firm.
The crew loved this fearless mutt. As the fleet assembled again to invade Salareno the mutt again stood his ground.
No one could believe this mutt could stand the air raids and shelling that the ship was continually under. Some men went insane and had to be locked up. But the mutt was not phased at all.
Then came the invasion of Southern France and again the mutt fearlessly withstood the shelling and air raids.
The crew came to love this fearless dog who no one knew where he came from.
Then one night, after the combat, as the ship lay at anchor the crew cooked some chickens they had found in Southern France. Someone tossed the mutt a chicken leg and it split as he chomped on it. The fearless mutt soon began tossing and turning and crying. The whole ship's crew watched in horror as the fearless mutt died right in front of them.
This story was told to me by my father: Lcdr Wm J Reilly, Navigator, USS Moreno, 1942- 1943.