Jackie (dog)
Encyclopedia
Jackie was a black-and-white spotted dog
, a Dalmatian
mix, that became known for the political incident it caused between its owner, Tor Borg, his company, and Nazi Germany
.
Borg was a Finnish
businessman from Tampere
who became head of what is now Tamro
Group, which had been co-founded by his father. At some point in time, Jackie was trained
to raise a single paw whenever the name "Hitler" was mentioned, appearing to emulate the Nazi salute
. In 1941, shortly before the invasion of the Soviet Union
provoked the Continuation War
, an anonymous source notified Nazi authorities of Borg and Jackie. Though Finland was an ally with Nazi Germany, and co-belligerent
in wars with the Soviet Union, it was not occupied by the Third Reich.
The report of Jackie's actions set into motion a series of documents and diplomatic cable
s between the German Foreign Office
, Economy Ministry, Nazi Party Chancellery and German diplomats in Finland. In an exchange dated January 29, 1941, German Vice Consul Willy Erkelenz in Helsinki wrote 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". Upon hearing of the situation, Borg became worried, as his company relied on German suppliers; his wife, Josefine, was a known anti-Nazi German.
Borg was summoned to the German Embassy in Helsinki
where he admitted that on a few occasions his wife called the dog “Hitler” and that on a few occasions it did respond with a raised paw. However, he claimed the incident in question had occurred earlier, telling Nazi officials: "The rumor might emanate from an episode in the summer of 1933 which happened within my family only and which had no ulterior political background whatsoever." He denied that his family or Jackie had done anything "that could be seen as an insult against the German Reich".
Embassy officials were skeptical of the explanation, noting in communications with Berlin
that "Borg, even though he claims otherwise, is not telling the truth." The Foreign Office spent three months investigating ways of bringing Borg to trial for insulting Hitler, but no witnesses would come forward. Finally, in March 1941, the Chancellory decided that "considering that the circumstances could not be solved completely, it is not necessary to press charges." Meanwhile, the Third Reich attempted to economically sabotage Borg's company, including trying to get IG Farben
to stop supplying it. It is unclear if Adolf Hitler
had ever been aware or had any say in the incident.
The incident was unknown for many years until being uncovered by historian and author Klaus Hillenbrand, who discovered the story while researching Nazi era activities in the German federal archive. Johannes Tuchel, head of the Memorial to the German Resistance
, noted that "This case shows that National Socialism was striving to dominate all spheres of public life and all areas that it could influence. And that went as far as to this rather bizarre case of this dog."
Jackie died of natural causes. Borg died in 1959 at age 60; Josefine died in 1971. The company, which had been recently renamed Tampereen Rohdoskauppa Oy and later renamed Tamro Group, expanded during the war years into a national wholesale business and supplied pharmaceuticals throughout Finland's wars of the period. Tamro would go on to become a leading wholesale pharmaceutical company in Scandinavia
.
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, a Dalmatian
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
mix, that became known for the political incident it caused between its owner, Tor Borg, his company, and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Borg was a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
businessman from Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
who became head of what is now Tamro
Tamro
Tamro is a Finnish wholesaler and retailer of pharmaceuticals and is a subsidiary of the Phoenix Group. It operates wholesale throughout Northern Europe as well as retailing in Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In Norway it owns Apokjeden which in turn owns the chain Apotek 1, the largest in...
Group, which had been co-founded by his father. At some point in time, Jackie was trained
Dog training
Dog training is the process of teaching skills or behaviors to a dog. This can include teaching a dog to respond to certain commands, or helping the dog learn coping skills for stressful environments. Dog training often includes operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or non-associative...
to raise a single paw whenever the name "Hitler" was mentioned, appearing to emulate the Nazi salute
Nazi salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
. In 1941, shortly before the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
provoked the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
, an anonymous source notified Nazi authorities of Borg and Jackie. Though Finland was an ally with Nazi Germany, and co-belligerent
Co-belligerence
Co-belligerence is the waging of a war in cooperation against a common enemy without a formal treaty of military alliance.Co-belligerence is a broader and less precise status of wartime partnership than a formal military alliance. Co-belligerents may support each other materially, exchange...
in wars with the Soviet Union, it was not occupied by the Third Reich.
The report of Jackie's actions set into motion a series of documents and diplomatic cable
Diplomatic cable
A diplomatic cable, also known as a diplomatic telegram or embassy cable, is the term given to a confidential text message exchanged between a diplomatic mission, like an embassy or a consulate, and the foreign ministry of its parent country....
s between the German Foreign Office
Foreign Office (Germany)
The Foreign Office is the foreign ministry of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign politics and its relationship with the European Union. From 1871 to 1919, it was led by a Foreign Secretary, and since 1919, it has been led by the Foreign Minister of Germany...
, Economy Ministry, Nazi Party Chancellery and German diplomats in Finland. In an exchange dated January 29, 1941, German Vice Consul Willy Erkelenz in Helsinki wrote 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". Upon hearing of the situation, Borg became worried, as his company relied on German suppliers; his wife, Josefine, was a known anti-Nazi German.
Borg was summoned to the German Embassy in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
where he admitted that on a few occasions his wife called the dog “Hitler” and that on a few occasions it did respond with a raised paw. However, he claimed the incident in question had occurred earlier, telling Nazi officials: "The rumor might emanate from an episode in the summer of 1933 which happened within my family only and which had no ulterior political background whatsoever." He denied that his family or Jackie had done anything "that could be seen as an insult against the German Reich".
Embassy officials were skeptical of the explanation, noting in communications with Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
that "Borg, even though he claims otherwise, is not telling the truth." The Foreign Office spent three months investigating ways of bringing Borg to trial for insulting Hitler, but no witnesses would come forward. Finally, in March 1941, the Chancellory decided that "considering that the circumstances could not be solved completely, it is not necessary to press charges." Meanwhile, the Third Reich attempted to economically sabotage Borg's company, including trying to get IG Farben
IG Farben
I.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I...
to stop supplying it. It is unclear if Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
had ever been aware or had any say in the incident.
| "The dog affair tells us the Nazis were not only criminals and mass murderers, they were silly as hell. There are very few things you can laugh about because what they did was so monstrous. But there were two or three dozen people discussing the affair of the dog rather than preparing for the invasion of the Soviet Union. They were crazy." |
| — Historian Klaus Hillenbrand on the absurdity of the Nazi effort regarding Jackie. |
The incident was unknown for many years until being uncovered by historian and author Klaus Hillenbrand, who discovered the story while researching Nazi era activities in the German federal archive. Johannes Tuchel, head of the Memorial to the German Resistance
Memorial to the German Resistance
The Memorial to the German Resistance , is a memorial and museum in Berlin, capital of Germany. It was opened in 1980 in part of the Bendlerblock, a complex of offices in Stauffenbergstrasse , south of the Tiergarten in Western Berlin...
, noted that "This case shows that National Socialism was striving to dominate all spheres of public life and all areas that it could influence. And that went as far as to this rather bizarre case of this dog."
Jackie died of natural causes. Borg died in 1959 at age 60; Josefine died in 1971. The company, which had been recently renamed Tampereen Rohdoskauppa Oy and later renamed Tamro Group, expanded during the war years into a national wholesale business and supplied pharmaceuticals throughout Finland's wars of the period. Tamro would go on to become a leading wholesale pharmaceutical company in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.