August is National Dog Month, which is relatively young—it was founded by Milk-Bone’s parent company in 2020. In honor of the month, #FlashbackFriday imitated its own Great Pyrenees and did some digging. Here are a few things that turned up in the Exchange Post archives.
1956: Lassie, a collie-Shetland sheepdog mix that belonged to the family of Clayton Gustafson (chief of the Finance & Accounting Branch at the San Francisco Regional Office), was named national dog hero of the year after she helped save the life of Gustafson’s 6-year-old son Gary.
Early Feb. 14, 1956, Gary began to hemorrhage after a recent tonsillectomy. He tried to go to his parents’ room but lost consciousness on the way. Lassie found him in the living room and ran to Gary’s parents’ room, jumping on the bed and whimpering and barking persistently.
When Gustafson’s wife tried to take Lassie outside, the dog ran toward Gary’s bedroom, leading her to Gary. Gary’s parents took him to a nearby hospital, where doctors said that Gary might have bled to death if he had been left alone as little as another quarter-hour.
For her deed, Lassie received a gold-plated leash and collar, a gold plaque, a new blanket and a year’s supply of dog food from a national dog-food manufacturer.
1976: Brandy—full name, General Brandy D. Dog—takes a break from her duties as site mascot and all-around morale builder at Cape Newenham, Alaska, a remote site served by an Exchange until 1983.
1987: Angelina Dizon-Ochoa, an operations specialist in Alaska for what was then Golden Gate Exchange Region, visits the training camp of Lt. Col. Terry Adkins, an Air Force veterinarian and seasoned competitor in the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome. In 1987, an Iditarod Shop debuted as a commodity concession in the Elmendorf AFB Exchange mall. The shop featured T-shirts, jackets, caps, commemorative pins and other souvenir merchandise.
2001: While providing support for rescue workers at the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks, the Exchange also provided support for the dogs who aided in the search for bodies. Associates made insulated booties for the dogs to protect their foot pads from the intensely hot debris littering the Pentagon grounds. The dogs also received Outback Steakhouse meals, Evian mineral water and American flag collars courtesy of the Exchange.
2003: When military working dogs in Germany were running low on dog food, the Exchange was asked to assist. Spangdahlem Exchange General Manager Stan McGhee and Retail Business Manager Pat Riordan came through and supplied food for the dogs. The handlers of one dog (sporting his new “Doggles,” provided courtesy of McGhee and Riordan) sent this thank-you photo.
2022: Actor Channing Tatum poses with Military Police and K-9s during a screening of “Dog” at the Fort Benning Exchange’s Lucas Theater. The movie features Tatum as an Army Ranger on a road trip with Lulu, a Belgian Malinois dog. In conjunction with the USO and Fort Benning MWR, the Fort Benning Exchange theater hosted nine free screenings for about 500 members of the Fort Benning community.
2022: An entrant in a Davis-Monthan AFB pet show appears to know that it matters where you shop.
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