War dogs refer to one-time prime minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, known as “the British Bulldog”, and his pet Rufus, a brown miniature poodle.  Readers learn about Churchill’s role during WWII and get a glimpse of his personal life through a focus on Rufus.  Rufus was with Churchill in the underground bunker, addressing the House of Commons, and the bombing of London.  He guards the door while Churchill plans the invasion of Normandy with Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin.  Acrylic and collage paintings in neutral tones show Rufus keeping Churchill company during the stressful years of guiding a country through a world war and the aftermath of rebuilding.  Quotations from speeches are “tacked” onto several pages.  Details of this turbulent time are accurate but brief enough for young readers to get a general understanding of the great man and the difficult war years.  A timeline of highlights from September 1939 to September 1945 is at the end along with a page about Churchill and his poodles and a page of other personal information.  An extensive bibliography, other books about Churchill and WWII related websites accompany the sources for each quote.