We Are Dying to Hug Chesty, the Marines' Adorable New Bulldog Puppy Mascot

The 14th Chesty is a splendid dog. He should discharge his duties nobly and with much cuteness.

A new, impossibly green recruit reported for duty earlier this week, stepping off the bus from his hometown of Stephens City, Virginia, and joining the ranks of his esteemed peers in the armed forces.

His name is Chesty. He is a nine-week-old English Bulldog.

But before he can assume his duties as the official United States Marine Corps mascot, Chesty must survive a relentless boot camp, a hell-on-earth struggle that will test his resolve and bring him face to face with his worst fears -- he'll go to obedience school, in other words.

“After obedience school and recruit training, the young puppy will earn the title Marine, joining the ranks of his well-known predecessors,” the Marine Corps said on its website.

Those predecessors include 13 other Bulldogs named Chesty, all of whom are named after the late Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, one of the most decorated officers in the history of the Marine Corps. The post -- mascot -- goes back to World War I, when our boys, responding to the German habit of calling Marines ‘teufel-hunden,' or devil dogs, created a U.S. Marine recruiting poster with a snarling English Bulldog wearing a Marine Corps helmet. 

After the poster with a Bulldog, the Marines set about getting an actual Bulldog, according to author Marion F. Sturkey, who wrote Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines.

“At the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, the Marines obtained a registered English Bulldog, King Bulwark. In a formal ceremony on 14 October 1922, Brig. Gen. Smedley D. Butler signed documents enlisting the bulldog, renamed Jiggs, for the ‘term of life.’ Pvt. Jiggs then began his official duties in the U.S. Marine Corps.”

He was later renamed Chesty, after the famed Chesty Puller, and the naming tradition stuck.

As for this Chesty, his duties will include marching in the Friday Evening Parades and supporting various events around the National Capitol Region, according to the Marine Corps' website.

That is, after he gets into fighting shape.

"We do like what we do with regular recruits, our human recruits," said Captain John Norton, according to Fox 59 News. "We’re going to take a good civilian and we’re going to make him a little bit better and turn him into a U.S. Marine.” 

Via Fox 59 News 

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"Let's Ask America" Picks a Scrappy Canine Mascot

Buster "Cash" Brown makes his debut on the new TV game show.

As we recently reported, Let's Ask America is a new breed of TV game show that lets contestants win money from home. Because Dogster readers prefer to participate while stationed on the sofa with their favorite couch hounds, the show has announced the winner of its nationwide canine mascot star search.

He's a Parson Russell Terrier named Buster "Cash" Brown. Buster was rescued off the streets, right near owner Amber Brown's apartment in Long Beach, CA. When she discovered him in October 2010, the 6-month-old was an extremely skinny puppy.

Now a strapping, mediagenic 2-year-old, Buster wins a trip to the Los Angeles set of the show with Amber, plus a professional photo shoot with Let's Ask America host Kevin Pereira. Buster will also appear on the program throughout the season.

Want to be a contestant? Fill out an application at the show's website.

Watch a clip here:

Let's Ask America premieres Monday, September 17, on Scripps Television stations. Check www.letsaskamerica.tv for your local listings.

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Steeler the cat, accidental (and unofficial) team mascot

I’m not a football fan, and the only reason I occasionally watch the Super Bowl is for the commercials.  But this year, I’ll be cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it’s all because of a tortoiseshell cat named Steeler.

The abandoned tortoiseshell cat was found crying at the backdoor of a friend in rural Pennsylvania. She had never had a cat before, and knew nothing about cats.  The little cat wanted in, and my friend did not want a cat.  When it became colder, and no shelter would take her, my friend decided that any cat that wanted a home that badly could stay.  She called her Steeler, because she stole her heart, and because she’s a big Pittsburgh Steeler fan.  And because, like all tortoiseshell cats, Steeler proudly wears the gold and black not just on game day, but every day.

Steeler became a comfort to my friend’s husband, who was becoming increasingly debilitated from Alzheimer’s.  After he was hospitalized, Steeler continued to provide love and support to my friend.  As she got to know Steeler better, she also became familiar with what is often referred to as “tortitude,” the distinct and unique personality of tortoiseshell cats.  They tend to be strong-willed, a bit hot-tempered, and they can be very possessive of their human.  Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty and unpredictable.  They’re usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr.  They can be a little unpredictable, and if they were football players, they’d probably be playing defense.

On game day, Steeler watches the games with my friend.   And she appears to be turning into somewhat of a lucky charm – after all, the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl.  When a Pittsburgh television station asked viewers to post photos of their pets in Steeler gear on their website, my friend posted Steeler’s photo, proudly showing off  her team colors, and even wearing a little Steeler hat.  As of this writing, Steeler’s photo has received more than 30,000 views.

There are plenty of tigers, cougars and wildcats who are team mascots.  Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers should consider making a feisty tortoiseshell cat named Steller their mascot.  So far, she has brought them good luck.

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