Oscar and Sport, Erin’s War Dog

For years after World War II, Sport, a dog whose reddish coat suggested a large dollop of Irish terrier in his lineage, was a familiar sight on Erin’s Main Street. Trotting along purposefully, Sport was often on a mission. Tucked into his collar was a note that his owner wanted delivered, and Sport intended to carry out his mission – for carrying out missions was what he had been trained to do.

That training had taken place in England, where Staff Sergeant Oscar Steky was stationed with the No. 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit. A trained chiropodist and shoemaker, Oscar had shortened his Serbian last name, Stekovich, and opened a practice on Erin’s Main Street in the 1930s.

Volunteering soon after war was declared, Oscar was sent to England, where his skills were in high demand. After all, foot care and boots in good repair are essential for a well-functioning infantry.

When a slightly scruffy dog strayed into the Canadian camp one day, Oscar named him Sport. The two formed a deep bond, and Oscar trained the dog to carry messages around the camp. Sport became the unit’s mascot, and when Oscar was demobbed at war’s end, he arranged to have his beloved companion shipped home.

Sport’s arrival in Erin in December 1945 was “probably one of the happiest days of Oscar’s life,” notes author Doug Kirkwood in his book, We Will Remember Them.

When the Erin branch of the Royal Canadian Legion was founded, Oscar became its first president, and Sport continued his mascot duties with the local company of the Lorne Scots Army Reserve. When he died, he was buried in the Erin fairgrounds – with full military honours provided by the Lorne Scots.

Sport’s modest memorial, weathered by time, now sits in front of the Erin Legion. His service as a war dog is also honoured on the website of Veterans Affairs Canada. And when Oscar died in 1963, his funeral was also conducted according to military tradition.

— With thanks to Doug Kirkwood, whose book, “We Will Remember Them: The Men & Women of Erin & District,” traces Erin’s many contributions to Canadian military history.