The Great Dane Juliana and Her Two Blue Cross Medals

Do you know why dogs are considered a man’s best friend and not other animals? This article will tell you why dogs are considered more loyal than most humans. If you are a dog lover, this story of the Great dane Juliana will make you adopt two more dogs!

 

During the Blitz, Britain was under constant attack in 1941. At this point, during World War 2, in order to punish Britain, incendiary bombs were being dropped across Britain. This campaign destroyed over two million houses and over 40,000 Civilians. These devices can start fire and or destroy sensitive equipment with fire. When one such bomb was dropped through the home in which Juliana and her owner lived, the dog is found to have extinguished the bomb by urinating on it. This stopped the fire from spreading and saved their lives. For the great action of the Great Dana, Juliana, she was awarded a Blue Cross medal.

 

She did not stop with her first heroic activity. Three years later, once again she was awarded a blue cross medal in November 1944. Juliana alerted her owner to evacuate the place when a fire started in their shoe shop and this saved the entire family from the fire accident.

 

The second medal was awarded with a portrait of Juliana. These items were found in a property clearance sale in Bristol. The Blue Cross medal and the portrait were sold in a Gloucestershire auction in September 2013. The auctioneer, Philip Taubenheim described Juliana as “Great Dane with Great bladder”. He also mentioned that it was a “remarkable story”. The auctioneer also said that the medal and the portrait was found at two different stages in a property that belonged to the relative of Juliana’s owner. In the initial stages, the auction was expected to achieve £60 but the winning bid was £1,100 which is $1,425 from an anonymous buyer. Taubenheim said that the portrait and the medal was sold for more than 18 times the pre-sale estimate.

 

The inscription of the Blue Cross medal stated that the medal was awarded to the Great Dane, Juliana for warning her master of a fire that was spreading through the shoes shop. The portrait also revealed that Juliana had been awarded the Blue Cross medal previously in 1941.

 

She was considered a hero and was celebrated all over the country for her heroic activities. But her ending was unexpected. Just a year after the war in 1946, she died of poisoning. Someone posted poison through the letterbox of the family home. Juliana died from eating the poisonous substance. The Blue Cross medals were originally awarded to military horses during World War 1. Later, the act included other animals in order to honor their act of bravery.

 

Surprisingly, Juliana was not a military working dog but she was still able to perform such heroic activities. She will always be remembered for her loyalty towards her family and country!