Dog finds *live* WWII grenade in Germany-takes it to owner

[underpants]

According to an Internet article published by the German public broadcasting system WDR, a dog dug up a live American hand grenade from World War II Sunday, June 7, 2009. The pup was taking a walk with its owner, a 40-year-old woman, in the German town of Erkrath, 5 miles east of Düsseldorf, sniffing and playing at a riverbank. He proudly presented a found treasure to his mom, letting go of it when asked.

The owner, recognizing her dog’s trove as a rusty grenade, called the police and waited until the police arrived. A bomb disposal unit, assisting at the scene, evaluated the grenade as still in working condition and very dangerous.

Explosive devices from World War II are still buried all over Germany, and at times, their removal or detonation process even requires evacuation of the surrounding areas. Usually, people discover the grenades and bombs by chance. A dog appropriating a live hand grenade he found while exploring his neighborhood shows the vulnerability of pets and their need for careful supervision.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1746-Tampa-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2009m6d8-Dog-finds-World-War-II-grenade

"She recognised immediately that it was probably an old, rusted hand grenade," police said. "On the orders of the woman, the dog obediently put his find back next to the stream."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j8ER8vdQe0heO1EGSOdHLPBdNmvw

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. They also find WW I ammo every so often, that is all but stable

at this stage

[konnichi wa]

2. How the hell do you combine 'good doggie' with 'you stupid mutt' in a meaningful way?

So glad the pooch wasn't hurt!

[Creena]

3. Obedient Dog

Mine would have tried to play fetch. If it even looks remotely like a ball, she pounces like a cat.

[Critters2]

7. This would be the ONE situation in which the beagle would finally

retrieve something! :)

[Gregorian]

4. War- the gift that keeps giving.

It's almost too good of a metaphor. A sad commentary on the human race.

[ControlledDemolition]

6. "There's nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning!" n/t

[onager]

5. There's a documentary...

...Google is not finding for me. But it's about a team of French "munitioneers" who clear old WWI and WWII explosives.

Many times, they find them exactly as described in this article - an ordinary homeowner finds something in the house or back yard. IIRC, one Frenchwoman found her grandfather's old footlocker in the garage, with live grenades and ammunition still inside. Occasionally they come across a cache of weapons buried by the French Resistance during WWII and never used.

These things, especially the land mines, are still killing people. Usually farmers plowing.

The munitioneers estimate that they have cleared about 25% of France. And they have enough of this work to keep busy for several more decades, just in that country.

I spent the last 3.5 years in Egypt, which also has a massive problem with land mines. I lived in Alexandria, about 60 miles from the WWII battlefield at El Alamein. The trails at El Alamein are clearly marked and best heeded carefully - experts estimate there are still at least 1 million WWII vintage mines buried out there.

Same thing on the other side of the country, in the Sinai, thanks to the wars of 1956, '67 and '73, etc. The Egyptian media reported that local terrorist groups are currently digging up some of those mines and recycling the explosives.

[Vidar]

8. Reminds of my childhood pet labrador who would retrieve live snakes & dead alewives for my

unappreciative dad.

[ManiacJoe]

9. Live WW2 bombs still get dug up in the London area, too.

[deaniac21]

10. How in the hell did that dog find the grenade's owner after all

these years?

[dflprincess]

11. Reminds me of a parody of an Irish rebel song

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=2590

AN ALSATIAN ONCE AGAIN (Dermot Morgan)

SPOKEN: Many songs are sung and written about Emmett, Pearse and Tone,
But no one knows the son of Ireland who loved to chew a bone,
A patriot so fearless who fought doggedly for his nation,
Not a Catholic or a Protestant, but a bloody great Alsatian.

SUNG: Way back in 1921 when the troubles were really bad,
The black and tans were searching houses, driving people mad.
Irish men and women lent a hand to help the cause.
Here's the story of a hero who lent a pair of paws.

And this was Fido ate a hand grenade for me,
When the tans came round to search the house at tea,
I said, "Fido, take this. Eat."
He thought it was a tin of meat.
It was the hand grenade that Fido hid for me.

The black and tans they searched the house, but not a thing was found.
They checked for guns and bullets, but they never checked the hound.
They mocked and scorned and jeered us, but their laughter ended soon,
When Fido just exploded and went phlllllt around the room.

And it was Fido hid the hand grenade for me,
Just as the tans came to search the house at tea.
Well, the tan said, "Excuse me, mate.
Was it something your dog ate?"
It was the hand grenade that Fido hid for me.

The tans ran out in terror. Fido saved us one and all,
So we looked at him as he lay there on the ceiling, the floors and the walls,
Another martyr for old Ireland, by Britannia cruelly slain.
Some day up there I hope he'll be an Alsatian once again,
An Alsatian once again, an Alsatian once again.
I hope this old dog will be an Alsatian once again.

[proteus_lives]

12. They'll be finding stuff like this in Europe for years to come.

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. Good thing he didn't pull the pin!

Would have been a little difficult for a dog to throw that thing in time.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. Good dog! lol

[driver8]

15. When I lived on Guam as a kid, kids were always finding unexploded ordinance in

the jungle.

The Air Force bomb squad used to come to our school every few months to explain what to do if we found bombs or grenades.