In the midst of World War II, in 1941, there arose an unlikely hero in the streets of Great Britain. During the attack on the nation by the Germans known as the Blitz (this name comes from the German word “blitzkrieg”, which means “lightning war”) incendiary bombs were being dropped on the cities at an alarming rate.
One of these bombs was dropped directly into a home and would have destroyed the house and severely injured, if not killed, the people who lived there. Enter: Juliana. She heroically stepped forward and put out the bomb before it could cause any life-threatening damage!
Oh yeah, there are a few things I should mention: Juliana was a Great Dane and she put out the bomb by urinating on it. Her “effort” was considered so heroic, that she was awarded the Blue Cross medal for animal bravery.
But Juliana’s story does not end there! Three years later, in 1944, she alerted her owner of a massive fire roaring through their shop. Again she was awarded Blue Cross medal for her bravery. This time the medal read “Presented to Juliana who for the second time saved her master’s family from fire.” Dogs may be considered man’s best friend, but Juliana truly went above and beyond that call…or maybe she just really needed to use the bathroom.
Meredith Gardner
References:
General:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_(dog)
Specific:
History on the Bridge 