The Hounds of El Delirio - New Mexico and the Dogs of World War II

The story of the United States Army’s World War II Dogs for Defense program, as told through the tales of the dogs, trainers, and soldiers from New Mexico who served in the Pacific Theater and beyond.

On the grounds of their Santa Fe estate, El Delirio, sisters Elizabeth White and Martha White built internationally recognized kennels and became influential figures in the world of American dog breeding and showing. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March, Elizabeth White signed on to become New Mexico’s regional director of the United States Army’s Dogs for Defense program. The Hounds of El Delirio chronicles the people, canines, and controversies of the program that shaped the greater war effort and the national character in ways few appreciate today.