Blondi was Adolf Hitler's German Shepherd dog, given to him as a gift in 1941 by Martin
Bormann.
Blondi stayed with Hitler even after his move into the Führerbunker located underneath
the garden of the Reich Chancellery on January 16, 1945.
In March or in early April 1945, she had a litter of five puppies with Gerdy Troost's
German Shepherd, Harras.
Hitler named one of the puppies "Wulf", his favorite nickname and the meaning of his own
first name, Adolf and he began to train her.
One of Blondi's puppies was reserved for Eva Braun's sister Gretl, and Eva sent Gretl a
letter containing a photo of Blondi and three of her puppies, Gretl's being indicated with
an arrow.
Hitler was reportedly very fond of Blondi, keeping her by his side and allowing her to
sleep in his bedroom in the bunker.
This affection was not shared by Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress, who preferred her two Scottish
Terrier dogs named Negus and Stasi.
According to Hitler's secretary, Eva hated Blondi and was known to kick her under the
dining table.
In May 1942, Hitler bought another young German Shepherd "from a minor official in the post
office in Ingolstadt" to keep Blondi company.
He called her Bella.
During his military service in World War I, Hitler had great affection for a stray white
Fox Terrier named "Fuchsl" and was distraught when he lost him.
He had been given a German Shepherd before named "Prinz" in 1921, during his years of
poverty, but he had been forced to lodge the dog elsewhere.
However, she managed to escape and return to him.
Hitler, who adored the loyalty and obedience of the dog, thereafter developed a great liking
for the breed.
He also owned a German Shepherd called "Muckl".
Before Blondi, Hitler had two German Shepherd dogs, a mother [born 1926] and daughter [born
ca.
1930] – both named Blonda.
In some photos taken during the 1930s the younger Blonda is incorrectly labeled as Blondi.
Blondi played a role in Nazi propaganda, of which portraying Hitler as an animal lover
was an important aspect.
Dogs like Blondi were coveted as "germanischer Urhund", being close to the wolf, and grew
very fashionable during the Third Reich.
Death During the course of April 29, 1945, Hitler
learned of the death of his ally Benito Mussolini who had been executed by Italian partisans.
This, along with the fact the Soviet Army was closing in on his location, led Hitler
to strengthen his resolve not to allow himself or his wife to be captured.
That afternoon, Hitler expressed doubts about the cyanide capsules he had received through
Heinrich Himmler's SS.
To verify the capsules' potency, Hitler ordered Dr. Werner Haase to test them on his dog Blondi,
and the dog died as a result.
Hitler became completely inconsolable.
According to a report commissioned by Joseph Stalin and based on eye witness accounts,
Hitler's dog-handler, Feldwebel Fritz Tornow, took Blondi's pups and shot them in the garden
of the bunker complex on April 30, after Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide.
He also killed Eva Braun's two dogs, Frau Gerda Christian's dogs and his own dachshund.
Tornow was later captured by the Allies.
Hitler's nurse, Erna Flegel, said in 2005 that Blondi's death had affected the people
in the bunker more than Eva Braun's suicide.
After the battle in Berlin ended, the remains of Hitler, Braun, and two dogs were discovered
in a shell crater by a unit of SMERSH, the Soviet counter-intelligence agency.
The dog was exhumed and photographed by the Soviets.
Notes and references Notes
References
External links
Blondi at Find a Grave