Cracker: The Best Dog In Vietnam By: Cynthia Kadohata Power Point by: Shelby Bloodworth

The Book This book is about a German Shepherd named Cracker that went from a normal house pet to a dog in the Vietnam war. When she got there she attacked anyone that came near her. She didn’t let the handlers work with her, she almost attacked the vet, and she did injure one man.

One man named Rick Hanski was able to calm her down. She loved Rick. The two dogs beside her were the best trained dogs. Their names were Tristie an Bruno. A man named Twenty-twenty was Tristie’s handler. A man named Cody was Bruno’s. Rick and the two guys became friends.

Training didn’t come easy for Cracker. She lost focus to many times. She didn’t like Rick telling her what to do, any other animal would make her go crazy, and she didn’t like the director. One day something clicked in her mind and she did what she needed to do. Rick was proud of her.

This is what Cracker looked like. She was a very strong dog.

The War When the day came to leave for Vietnam,all of the dogs were loaded into crates and onto a plane. When they got to the base, nothing happened really. When Rick and Cracker set out on the first mission, Cracker saved them from a dangerous trap.

They were later sent on an important mission and they succeeded. When they got back they immediately had to be sent somewhere else. When they got there, Twenty- twenty had been shot. Tristie tried to run to him but she was shot. Rick tried to save her but she was dead.

Twenty-twenty asked Rick to give her a proper burial and to bury her with some of his hair. There was a grave yard just for dogs that had died during the war.

On the next mission, Rick was injured and Cracker was captured. She escaped and ran away. She found the camp after a while but no one was there. She was tired and hungry. Rick was trying to recover fast so that he could look for Cracker.

Well it took a while and Cracker was taken back to the main base. Most of the unhealthy dogs were euthanized. The healthy ones were given to the Vietnam Army. Bruno was given to them. Cracker was returned home. Her previous owner had come to the airport to see her. Even though he really loved her, he let Rick keep her. Cracker had a healthy life with Rick.

N.D.L.B. stands for No Dogs Left Behind. After that war the government decided to let all of the alive dogs go home to where they belong. No dog is left behind anywhere. N.D.L.B.