A researcher in the German Foreign Office recently found documents concerning a Finnish dog named Jackie who, during WW2, was trained by its owner to give a Nazi salute on command. The Fuehrer-mocking dog made the Germans very angry.

The documents reveal that three German ministries became involved in the investigation of a Finnish pharmaceutical magnate, Tor Borg, and his dog Jackie, over reports that the dog was trained to mock Hitler. Diplomats in the Helsinki embassy told Berlin that "a witness, who does not want to be named, said ... he saw and heard how Borg's dog reacted to the command 'Hitler' by raising its paw."

The Germans toyed with the idea of running a smear campaign to ruin Borg's business, and even bringing him to trial, but the case never got that far. After questioning, German diplomats relayed to Berlin that "Borg, even though he claims otherwise, is not telling the truth." Hitler's Chancellory eventually decided that it wasn't worth it, and perhaps that handling a world war was more important than prosecuting a dog and its owner. While nothing came of the investigation, it should be noted that Jackie was lucky just to avoid assassination.

[Jackie wearing shades via AP]