Horrie the War Dog, by Ronald Perry (Allen & Unwin 2013), is essentially the biography of a dog, as it traces the life and times of a heroic puppy in World War II, as well as its post-war adventures relating to its controversial and intriguing ‘execution’.

This little dog was found abandoned and starving in the Libyan desert in 1940 by Australian private Jim Moody, who gave him shelter, ‘adopted’ him and named him Horrie.

The likeable quadruped proved not just a wonderful new friend but also an unexpectedly great mate and fighter, as he saved the lives of Australian soldiers numerous times, acting as a moving ‘alarm system’ during the air-raids by Hitler’s Stukas.

Horrie followed Moody faithfully to all war zones in the Middle East (Libya, Egypt, Greece-Crete, Palestine, Syria) and beyond, smuggled safely inside Moody’s pack.

However, his arrival in Australia proved the greatest adventure of all, both for the little dog and the soldiers.

And here is where the greatest irony of fate lies, because while Horrie managed not only to survive himself and also to save the lives of so many others in battle, the greatest battle was to be fought upon returning to the homeland – given that there were strict quarantine laws in place prohibiting animals from entering the country.

Horrie, however, managed to survive once more and disembark safely in Australia, but his life was put at risk when, three years later, Moody brought him out of hiding in order to help the Red Cross in a fund-raising event in Sydney.

As Horrie’s story was inevitably publicised, the authorities were quick to take action and demand his execution, even though he was not a health risk.

The puppy was eventually shot on 12 March 1945 – an event which caused an unprecedented public outcry against the heartless politicians and bureaucrats for the inhumane treatment of this heroic animal.

Sixty years later, in 2002, the veteran journalist Norma Allen confided to Canberra writer Anthony Hill that Jim Moody had revealed to her, during an interview in 1946, that it was not Horrie who was shot but another white terrier he had chosen in its place – a secret which was later confirmed to Hill by Moody’s family and friends.

The book is a thoroughly-researched historical and military document. It is well-written and despite its central focus being the war and its atrocities – or exactly because of this – it is full of compassion, love, tenderness and emotion.

This stems from the accidental co-existence of hardened soldiers with a little, weak but intelligent and brave dog who behaves like a human.

The close and warm relationship between the soldiers and Horrie brings a new dimension to their grey lives, providing a spark of excitement, affection and love.

Indeed, the soldiers’ feelings towards Horrie supersede those of gratitude, as sergeant Roy Brooker eloquently remarks: “Men kill and maim and hate the enemy.

You’ve all had a go at the Vickers [machine guns] and they can kill several men in seconds.

They have incredible power and such weapons do strange things to the men manning them. They make hard men even harder.

But it is not in man’s nature or mentality to be so damned brutal. We have been closer to mass killings than any other members of our army.

We need a balance, an antidote to that. Horrie is a worthy recipient of all the gunners’ love and sympathy. But he is also a recipient of all that necessary balance of positive feeling.”

Unfortunately this touching reciprocity of feelings between man and dog is undermined in the most dramatic and painful manner – with the official order for Horrie’s cold execution.

Not because he is a public health threat but in order to be made an example of by discouraging aspiring imitators of Moody, something which speaks volumes about the callous as well as brainless mentality of bureaucrats who show complete indifference to the sacrifices that humans and animals have made for the homeland.

Perhaps, however, Ronald Perry should have been more thorough regarding the details of the mystery surrounding Horrie’s real or simulated ‘execution’, as there are still many residual unanswered questions – even though these may be the subject of a future book.

* Dr John Vasilakakos is an acclaimed Melbourne academic and writer. His latest book is Christos Tsiolkas: The Untold Story (Connor Court Publishing, Melbourne 2013) whose Greek edition came out by Odos Panos Publishing, Athens 2015.