The Bomb That Landed in the Living Room
In April 1941, during the height of the Blitz, an incendiary bomb pierced the roof of a British home. The device, designed to ignite and cause widespread fire, landed in the presence of a Great Dane named Juliana.
Rather than fleeing, the dog is reported to have stood over the device and urinated on it, extinguishing the ignition and halting what could have become a devastating blaze. For this act, Juliana received her first Blue Cross medal, awarded to animals for bravery.
Fire in the Shoe Shop
Three years later, in November 1944, Juliana once again played a critical role in alerting her owners to danger. A fire had started inside the family’s shoe shop. Before the flames could spread or trap anyone inside, Juliana’s behavior drew attention to the blaze.
Her timely warning allowed the family to escape unharmed and respond before the situation worsened. This act earned her a second Blue Cross medal, making her one of the few animals in Britain to receive the honor twice during the war years.
Medals in a Box, A Story Rediscovered
Decades later, the details of Juliana’s actions resurfaced in an unexpected place. During a routine house clearance in Bristol, workers uncovered a small collection: a portrait of a Great Dane and a medal. It was Juliana’s second Blue Cross award, forgotten for years.
The medal and portrait were put up for auction in Gloucestershire in September 2013, with an opening estimate of £60. The listing sparked renewed interest in Juliana’s history, and bidding rose rapidly. The items sold for £1,100 to an anonymous buyer.
A Dog Remembered in Sale Records
The auctioneer at the Gloucestershire sale described her as “a Great Dane with a great bladder,” referencing the unusual method Juliana used to stop the incendiary bomb. The medal and portrait provided tangible evidence of her actions during a volatile time in British history.
The precise circumstances surrounding the events rely on period accounts and surviving records tied to the medals, which were issued by the Blue Cross in recognition of acts carried out during World War II.
Juliana died in 1946. Her story, obscured for decades, re-emerged thanks to the unexpected discovery of her medal and portrait, linking back to events that occurred more than 70 years earlier during wartime Britain.
During the chaos of WWII, a Great Dane named Juliana shocked Britain by stopping an incendiary bomb in an unexpected way.
Years later, a forgotten medal and portrait revealed her story again—a dog who saved lives not once but twice, with courage as surprising as her methods.🧵 pic.twitter.com/hqrRNZYITG
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 21, 2025