Dog Names Ending in ty

Bulldogs became the mascots of the U.S. Marine Corps back in the 1920s when a recruitment poster of a Bulldog wearing a United States helmet chasing a Dachshund wearing a German helmet was posted. However, the Marines had already considered the Bulldog their unofficial mascot since WWI when the Germans referred to them as “Teufel hunden,” which means devil dogs because they were so tough. 

Although the first two Marine Bulldogs starting in 1922 were named Jiggs, all of the future Bulldogs to be Marine representatives were named Chesty after the Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, who was a five-time Navy Cross recipient. So, there isn’t just one Chesty; there are many of them. In fact, as of this date (2018), there have been 15 Chesty Bulldogs. The Marine Corps gives each Chesty an honorable discharge after three to six years to give the pooches plenty of time to enjoy their retirement and just be a dog. They each go to an adoptive family that has been appropriately and thoroughly vetted. 

On the 5th of July 1957, the very first Chesty made his first appearance in his dress blues at the first Friday Evening Parade at the Marine Corps Barracks in Washington. He was immediately loved by all and was a superior Marine mascot, behaving respectfully at all times. The second Chesty was not as well-behaved and did not follow orders well. In fact, he even went AWOL for two days and had to be brought back in a police paddy wagon. Chesty the third was a model Marine who even won a Good Conduct medal for being such a loving pup to the neighborhood children. 

Since then, there have been many more Chesty dogs, but the first to go viral was Chesty XII, who began his career in 2002. He became an internet sensation in 2007, and because there was really no social media coverage before that, he was and will always be a legend. Chesty the XIII replaced the XII in 2008, Chesty XIV began in 2013, and the most recent Chesty XV began his training in 2018. He shadowed the previous Chesty for several months as part of his rigorous (sitting, sleeping, playing, and eating) training before he was officially sworn into the Marine Corps in March 2018. Some of their official duties include attending various events, helping with tours, greeting dignitaries, and marching in parades. However, what these canine companions are best at is being a loyal friend.