Sergeant Stubby, the True Story of a Decorated World War I Dog

Sergeant Stubby was a stray brindle dog who became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, part of the 26th “Yankee” Division, in World War I (WW1). He served on the front lines in France, survived poison gas and a shrapnel wound, and met three US presidents. His preserved body is now at the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum group of the United States, in Washington, D.C.

His exact breed is unknown, though records point to a Boston Terrier-type mix. People still argue about his breed, his rank and his medals. Here is his true story, myths and all.

Chapter I

Who Was Stubby?

Stubby was a stray puppy who became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment in 1917. He served with the unit in France but was never formally enlisted, and his 1926 obituary notes that he “had no enlistment card.”

The USA entered World War I in April 1917, and later that year the regiment was training on Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut, when he wandered into camp and decided to stay. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which holds Stubby today, describes him as a brindle puppy with a short tail. Brindle describes a coat with darker and lighter streaks.

Private J. Robert Conroy took a liking to the puppy and later became his owner. The soldiers named the dog Stubby after his short tail. Animals were not allowed in camp, but Stubby had such a positive impact on morale that he was allowed to stay. He learned the bugle calls and drills, and he even picked up a salute, raising his right paw to his right eyebrow.

How Stubby Got to France

When the 26th Division shipped out for France, Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard the SS Minnesota and hid him in the coal bin until the ship was far out at sea. In France, Conroy’s commanding officer discovered the stowaway. Stubby saluted the officer, who let the dog stay. Soon Stubby received orders to travel with the division as its mascot, an animal a unit adopts for company and morale.

Map of a life

Stubby’s Journey in 6 Stops

Chapter II

What Breed Was Sergeant Stubby?

Stubby’s exact breed is unknown, but the records point to a Boston Terrier-type mix.

No record names his parents, and he had no pedigree or registration papers. His New York Times obituary of April 4, 1926, called him “the brindle and white ‘bull terrier.'” The writer put “bull terrier” in quotation marks, which suggests a rough description rather than an exact breed. The obituary also said plainly that he had no pedigree, as this line shows.

You can read the full obituary on the Connecticut Military Department web page. Later sources point in a similar direction. Georgetown University, where Stubby entertained football crowds in the 1920s, describes him as representing the Boston bull terrier breed “in a general way.” The American Kennel Club calls him a stray brindle dog of Boston Terrier or Bull Terrier type.

Evidence check

How Strong Is the Case for Each Breed?

These ratings are K9Sphere’s judgment of the available records, not statistical probabilities.

Here is a detail that is easy to miss. The Boston Terrier went by several names in its early years, including Round Heads, American Bull Terrier and Boston Bull Terrier. Its founding dog was Hooper’s Judge, a cross between an English Bulldog and the White English Terrier, a breed that no longer exists. Knowing these old names helps explain why descriptions of Stubby can be confusing.

Name decoder

The Boston Terrier’s Many Names

So when his 1926 obituary called him a “bull terrier,” the writer could have meant a Boston Terrier-type dog, but the wording alone does not prove it. By then the Boston Terrier was a well-established breed. Today it belongs to the AKC’s Non-Sporting Group, which includes many popular non-sporting dog breeds.

Size clue

How Heavy Was a Boston Terrier-Type Dog?

The breed’s founding dog was heavier than today’s standard allows. No reliable measured weight for Stubby has been recorded, so this comparison cannot tell us how big he was.

Chapter III

Was Stubby a Pit Bull or a Boston Terrier?

The historical descriptions make a Boston Terrier-type mix the strongest possibility, not a pit bull. This is one of the most debated questions about Stubby. The table below shows how six sources describe him, from his 1926 obituary to modern museum, breed history and news accounts.

How He Was Described	Who Said It	Date or Context
Brindle puppy with a short tail	Smithsonian museum record	1917 (period described)
Brindle and white “bull terrier,” unpedigreed	The New York Times obituary	1926
Said to represent the Boston bull terrier breed “in a general way”	Georgetown University Library	Modern look back at his Georgetown years
Boston Terrier or Bull Terrier type	American Kennel Club breed history	Current web page
Bull terrier mix	AKC Museum of the Dog statue announcement	2019
A mutt from Connecticut	Connecticut Public news report	April 20, 2026

By the numbers

What Those 6 Sources Have in Common

These counts cover only the six sources above, and some sources fit more than one ring.

None of the six sources call him a pit bull. So why do some people think he was one? In museum pictures, his compact build and short coat can look like the American Pit Bull Terrier or the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

The American Pit Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier come from bulldog and terrier crosses, just like the Boston Terrier. Each later became its own breed. That shared history may explain why people see a resemblance.

Historian Ann Bausum, who wrote two books about Stubby, explained this in a Military Times article. She said people tend to see their favorite breed in him. “If you love boxers, he’s a boxer,” she said. But she also noted that “he did look like what was then a Boston terrier.”

Keep in mind that Boston Terriers in Stubby’s day did not look exactly like today’s. Early Bostons could be bigger, like the founding dog Hooper’s Judge. Today’s smaller Boston is often mixed up with the French Bulldog. Our French Bulldog vs Boston Terrier guide shows how to tell the two apart.

Chapter IV

What Did Stubby Do During the War?

During World War I, Stubby served on the front lines in France as the 102nd Infantry’s mascot, keeping the men company and lifting morale. After being gassed himself, he reportedly smelled gas early and warned the men. He also helped find wounded soldiers and, by several accounts, held a German soldier until American troops arrived. He was injured by gas and later wounded by shrapnel.

The regiment reached the front on February 5, 1918, in the Chemin des Dames sector, a ridge in northern France whose French name means “the Ladies’ Way,” north of the town of Soissons.

His 1926 obituary says he was under fire night and day for more than a month in that sector. The noise and strain shook many of the men, and Stubby helped keep their spirits up. These four episodes are among the best-known parts of his war story.

Field report

Four Episodes That Made Him Famous

The Smithsonian museum credits Stubby’s gas warning with saving many soldiers from injury. It also says Stubby took part in 17 battles. His 1926 obituary counts four major offensives. These numbers measure different things, because an offensive is a large campaign that can include several battles. In 1921, General John J. Pershing presented him with the Humane Education Society’s gold medal, as the National Park Service notes.

Famous meetings

The Three Presidents Who Met Stubby

Chapter V

Was Stubby Really a Sergeant?

Sources disagree. The AKC and the National Park Service both say he was promoted for his heroic work in the trenches. Historian Ann Bausum read hundreds of newspaper articles from his lifetime and found no report calling him “Sgt. Stubby.” She said she is “quite convinced that he was promoted by the internet.” One possible source of the confusion is his blanket.

What About His Purple Hearts?

Claims that he received Purple Hearts run into a problem of dates. The modern Purple Heart was revived on February 22, 1932, as the National Archives explains.

Accounts of a later award disagree. The AKC says he received two Purple Hearts, while a 2026 Connecticut Public report says he received one after his death. Neither account cites an official award record. His wounds were real, but no official US military Purple Heart award has been documented.

None of this takes anything away from his war service. He is widely remembered as a sergeant today, even though the record does not settle whether he was ever formally promoted.

Chapter VI

Is Stubby’s Story Fact or Legend?

Famous stories often pick up details over a century that the records do not support. Here is how the best-known claims about Stubby stand up against the records. The list below also makes a good classroom activity on checking sources.

Chapter VII

How Was Stubby Honored and Remembered?

Stubby was honored while he was still alive. In 1921, General Pershing gave him a gold medal from the Humane Education Society. He was also made a member of the American Legion and the Y.M.C.A.

He died in 1926, and The Washington Post and The New York Times both ran obituaries. Conroy never adopted another dog after him. Today his preserved body is on display at the Smithsonian. Three sculptures honor him in Connecticut and New York. Books tell his story to both adults and children.

Where to See Stubby Today

In 1956, Conroy gave Stubby to the Smithsonian. His body had been preserved through taxidermy, and the museum lists the materials as fur and plaster. Today he is part of the Price of Freedom exhibition at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Museum displays sometimes change, so check the museum’s website before you go to make sure he is on view.

In New York, the AKC Museum of the Dog unveiled a bronze statue called Stubby Salutes on May 23, 2019, as the AKC announced. Sculptor Susan Bahary made it. The original statue stands at Veterans Memorial Park in Middletown, Connecticut.

On April 20, 2026, a life-size reproduction of Stubby was unveiled in Hartford, Connecticut. It is in the Museum of Connecticut History, inside the Connecticut State Library. David Hayes Studio made it, as the Connecticut National Guard reported. The unveiling came 100 years after his death.

Inside the library, visitors can touch a copy of the medal-covered blanket he wore, Connecticut Public reported.

His Story in Books and Film

Stubby’s story also lives on in books, including Ann Bausum’s 2014 biography for adults (paid link) and her children’s book, Stubby the War Dog (paid link). A 2018 animated movie retold his life for family audiences. If you watch it with kids, remember it is a dramatized story, not a documentary or a history lesson.

Sergeant Stubby FAQ

Final Thoughts

Stubby had no known pedigree, and whether he was formally promoted to sergeant is still disputed. What is clear is that a stray from Yale Field went to France with the 102nd Infantry, warned men about gas, helped find the wounded and came home famous. A century later, people still call him a hero.

He also mattered because of what he meant to the men around him. Perhaps his greatest gift was simple. He kept tired, frightened soldiers company in the trenches.

In the end, his breed matters less than who he was. He was a good dog who showed up for his people.

If his story has you curious about the breeds people compare him with, start with our terrier dog breeds guide or meet the Boxer, a breed some people see in his face.

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