As a pup, Horrie was found by Private Jim Moody, then becoming the unofficial mascot of the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion, travelling from Egypt to Greece, Crete, Palestine and Syria.
Intelligent and easily trained, Horrie acted as guard dog and many times gave early warning of the approach of enemy aircraft.
When Moody returned to Australia in 1942, he smuggled Horrie ashore in a modified travelling pack. Horrie lived in Australia for three years before disaster struck.
Horrie's story was about to be published in a book by Ion Idriess, 'Horrie the wog-dog: with the AIF in Egypt, Greece, Crete and Palestine' (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1948) with Moody offering the publicity Horrie would bring, to assist the Red Cross Society's fund raising efforts. This alerted quarantine officials to Horrie's history. They demanded Horrie be surrendered for euthanasia.
Anthony Hill's book 'Animal Heros' suggest a different ending. Hill claimed that a look-a-like dog was surrendered in Horrie's place and that Horrie lived the rest of his life near Corryong, Victoria.
Horrie's uniform, made of a soldier's service dress tunic, and the travelling pack he was smuggled into Australia in is now in the Australian War Memorial's collection.
Visit the statue of Horrie in the Corryong Memorial Garden.