CLASSIC: The War of the Stray Dog: How Far Would You Go For Your Pet?

Summary

Ridiculous History – CLASSIC: The War of the Stray Dog: How Far Would You Go For Your Pet?

Podcast: Ridiculous History
Hosts: Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown
Release Date: February 14, 2026
Main Theme: Exploring the bizarre true history behind the “War of the Stray Dog,” a brief border conflict between Greece and Bulgaria in 1925—sparked, supposedly, by a soldier’s runaway dog.

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Episode Overview

Ben and Noel take listeners on a wild ride through an infamous but lesser-known moment in European history: the “War of the Stray Dog.” The episode blends historical context, black comedy, and profound musings on human and animal bonds to explore how national tensions and pet ownership literally led to shots fired and loss of life on the Greek-Bulgarian border. Throughout, the hosts riff on old conflicts, the nature of borders, and, of course, their own feelings toward pets.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dog People vs. Cat People (03:34-07:21)

• The show opens with the perennial debate: are the hosts dog or cat people?

  • Ben: “I love animals in general… in several generations a lot of the wild animals that we can see today are going to be gone. So I’m a little bit bittersweet about it.” (04:44)
  • Noel: Calls himself “cat people,” citing cats’ self-sufficiency but admits fondness for his girlfriend’s dog: “He just does some things that rub me the wrong way, I’m not gonna lie. But he also does something that I enjoy.” (04:29)

• They light-heartedly discuss the human tendency to project emotions onto animals and admit that, for some, pet love can go to extremes.

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2. Setting the Stage: Balkan History and Tensions (07:44-14:38)

• The story is anchored in post-Ottoman Balkan Peninsula history:

  • Greece won independence in 1832; Bulgaria in 1908.
  • Both are Orthodox Christian, but territorial disputes (especially Macedonia and Western Thrace) keep them feuding.
  • After WWI, Greece (on the Allied side) gets land; Bulgaria (on the losing side) loses access to the Aegean Sea and is resentful.

• Border violence is frequent, stoked by semi-autonomous groups:

  • IMRO (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization) and ITRO (Internal Thracian Revolutionary Organization): “like a Gangs of New York kind of situation where they literally have everyone in their pocket, they own the streets.” (12:28, Noel)

• Both sides struggle to agree on the exact border: “That’s the thing about borders, man... they both felt like they defined it very well. They just didn’t agree on what the good definition was.” (14:28, Ben)

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3. Trigger Event: The Stray Dog Incident (18:13-22:44)

• Escalating border skirmishes set the stage.
• On October 18, 1925, a Greek border guard’s dog crosses into Bulgaria at Demir Kapul Pass. The guard chases after it, entering Bulgarian territory.
  • “The dog strays, the dog makes a run for it. I don’t know, he probably saw a squirrel or something… the dog bolts for the Bulgarian side.” (20:20, Noel)
• Bulgarian sentries shoot and kill the Greek soldier who trespassed.
• More confusion ensues: A Greek captain emerges under a white flag to deescalate but is also shot (with his private).
  • “A sentry shoots the soldier dead. And the guy never reconciles with his pooch. And this proves to be the first shot of what we now know as the war of the stray dog.” (21:33, Ben)
  • “Not cool. Some real hotheaded triggermen going on over there on the Bulgarian side.” (22:44, Noel)

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4. Escalation: Invasion and Diplomacy Gone Wrong (23:03-31:23)

• Greek military dictator Theodoros Pangalos demands an apology, prosecution, and compensation within 48 hours but invades before the ultimatum expires.

  • “Why make the ultimatum if you’re just going to break it before the other side has a chance to act?” (25:04, Noel)

• Greek army corps invades, burning and looting Bulgarian villages, especially the region of Petrich.

• Greece appeals to Serbia for help, offering future spoils; Bulgaria appeals to the League of Nations.

  • “It’s very much making the T-shirts before you make the shirts.” (29:27, Ben)
  • “That’s how the game is played.” (29:31, Noel)

• The hosts debate the wisdom of bringing in the League of Nations:

  • Noel jokingly compares it to “crying, going to your mommy.”
  • Ben: “But that’s literally what the League of Nations was supposed to be for, right?” (30:14)

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5. Resolution and Consequences (31:23-38:16)

• The League of Nations intervenes diplomatically and orders Greece to pay compensation (£45,000—about £2.5 million today (33:37)).

• Pangalos feels humiliated on the world stage, citing double standards for powerful vs. smaller nations.

  • “He already felt that they [League of Nations] were incredibly imbalanced and hypocritical because he said, look, we all know that the League of Nations has two sets of rules…” (34:21, Ben)

• Domestically weakened, Pangalos is soon overthrown by his own officers and disappears from public life, later surfacing in a corruption scandal, then supporting a pro-Nazi regime during WWII before dying in 1952.

  • “When you’re a dictator… your source of power comes from your ability to, like, flex and be a strong man… as soon as someone sees weakness in you… you are open to being overthrown.” (35:23, Noel)

• The fate of the dog remains unknown.

  • “For playing a very small part in this story, this unknown dog has won the name in history.” (38:16, Ben)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On dog love’s extremes:
  “How far would you go for your pet?... I would start a world war.” (01:10, Noel (joking))

• On the semantics of ‘stray dog’:
  “This is dubbed the War of the Stray Dog, which I would argue is a misnomer, because this dog was not a stray. This dog belonged to this man who was a very loving, gentle master.” (20:07, Noel)

• On dictators and fragility of power:
  “He has been seen as weak on the domestic and international stage. So the very same people, the very same cadre of officers that helped him become dictator by that summer, they overthrow him…” (36:46, Ben)

• Episode humor and rapport:
  “We will doggedly chase a pun if we can find one.” (31:36, Ben)
  “None of the three of us would start a war over a dog. Okay. I can. With 90% certainty.” (40:54, Ben)

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• Opening animal people debate: 03:34–07:21
• Backdrop—history and tensions: 07:44–14:38
• Precipitating incident (“stray” dog, shootings): 18:13–22:44
• Invasion and diplomatic antics: 23:03–31:23
• Aftermath, compensation, political fallout: 31:23–38:16

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Tone & Style

The episode is full of dark, irreverent, and nerdy humor, true to the Ridiculous History brand. Ben and Noel maintain a playful banter even when covering grim content, seasoning the discussion with pop culture references (“John Wick,” “Red Dead Redemption 2,” “Gangs of New York”), historical asides, and pet anecdotes.

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TL;DR Takeaway

A runaway dog on a fraught Greco-Bulgarian border in 1925 led, via a tragicomic chain of violence, to an international incident, a brief but bloody incursion, and the humiliation of a Greek dictator—all resolved thanks to the League of Nations. Through this lens, Ben and Noel ponder just how far humans will go for their pets—sometimes, unbelievably, to war.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back folks. It is that time of the week where we share one of our favorite classic episodes. Max, look man, you and I are both animal people, as is our pal Noel. I love, love, love, love pretty much every non human animal. And I was thinking about this as we were going to today's classic episode. Two questions for you, Max. One, have you ever seen John Wick?

[B]

Oh yeah, it is amazing actually. I was introduced series with John Wick too. I just had a group of friends that we'd go to matinee movies together. This is back when we were all bartenders, so doing stuff. Tuesday afternoon was our go to that went around when we were off. I never seen the first one. They're like, oh, come see this. I'm like, I don't want to see some dumb action movie. Oh my God. It captured me immediately. I'm like, this is so awesome.

[A]

That's the second question there. Building off our mutual adoration of John Wick. How far would you go for your pet? Yeah, I would.

[B]

I would start a world war.

[A]

I mean, nukes would fly, nukes would fly. Heads will roll. As the yeah, yeah, yeah said. This classic episode is about something called the War of the Stray Dog. As we're going to find. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, these newly independent nations started beefing over their borders. Greece and Bulgaria. This was one of those slow burn things, right? It starts with small transgressions which escalate. There's an untenable, unsustainable situation. And it reaches a breaking point in 1925 when a border guard's dog runs away. Oof, here we go. The War of the Stray Dog.

[B]

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[A]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Foreign. Let's open today's show with some statistics. It's often said that people could be either dog people or cat people, meaning they prefer one pet over another. According to a few fairly arbitrary poll reported by Today.com, 74% of us listening Today find ourselves being dog people. And a way to get into today's episode is to ask, how far would you go for a dog? Welcome to the show. My name is Ben.

[B]

My name is no Ben. When you say dog people, do you mean some sort of hybrid island of Dr. Moreau type monstrosity or talking about dog aficion? Fans of dogs.

[A]

Yeah, as mentioned, people who prefer dogs or people who prefer cats. We have yet to ask our super producer Casey Pegram this question, so I'd like to ask both you guys. Noel, you strike me as more of maybe a cat person.

[B]

I am a fan of the movie Cat People and the accompanying Giorgio Moroder soundtrack. And I do like cats. I don't know why. They're a little less needy.

[A]

They're less work. Is that what it is?

[B]

They're less work. They're self sufficient dogs. While they do give you unconditional love, sometimes I feel like they just vomit love on you to the point where you're like, can we turn off the love hose, please?

[A]

I feel like sometimes I get the sense, and I'm not gonna profile you, but I've gotten the sense before when we hang out that you don't like dogs.

[B]

Well, that's the thing. I'm dating a girl and have been for a while who has a lovely little dog who I enjoy. He does some cute things, like he gets under the covers at night and kind of spoons with my leg, which I enjoy. But he also does things where in the middle of the night he'll get on top of my head and start flipping his body around in circles like he can't get comfortable. And he's a humper. And he's. He just does some. He does some things that rub me the wrong way, I'm not gonna lie. But he also does something that I enjoy.

[A]

So you're. You're maybe on the fence about dogs in general.

[B]

I'm cat people.

[A]

Yeah. What about you, Casey?

[B]

Oh, man, this is.

[A]

This is tough. I'm.

[B]

I'm real 5050 on this.

[A]

I love dogs and cats. I've had more dogs than cats. But the one cat I did have lived to be about 18 or 19 years old and was a great cat. So I'd say.

[B]

I'd say both.

[A]

That's awesome. You know, and that seems like. That seems like the kind of answer I would expect from Casey, you know.

[B]

Casey on the cat and dog case.

[A]

And today's episode.

[B]

Wait, you haven't said yours.

[A]

Yeah, no, I haven't. Today's episode brings us to no, no.

[B]

No, you're not going to have this. No, sir. No sir, my friend.

[A]

Well, being a decent human being, I love dogs and cats.

[B]

Wow, that was very pointed. Very pointed.

[A]

No, I'm messing with you. I don't. I, I love animals in general and it's not to be too bleak about it, but it's true that in several generations a lot of the wild animals that we can see today are going to be gone. So I'm a little bit bittersweet about it. You know, we created dogs in a very real sense. Right.

[B]

They are.

[A]

If you think about it, dogs are genetically modified organisms or GMOs.

[B]

Yeah. And I mean the purebred ones are kind of Those island of Dr. Moreau monstros in some ways that we're talking about.

[A]

Some I believe. Now, I'm not a dog doctor, I'm not a veterinarian, but I believe that there are a couple of breeds that require human assistance to reproduce.

[B]

That's right. Even like just the features that humans consider cute or desirable sometimes are not good for the health of the dog. So we bred them to be something that we like, but not necessarily with their best interest in mind.

[A]

Whereas cats self domesticated, which I think is fascinating. But. Yeah. So I am a lover of all animals, including serpents and insects. There are a couple animals I wouldn't necessarily want to have in my house all the time. Like a snake. Like snakes. Snakes are very happy outside and that's where I will leave them.

[B]

Well, you know, listeners write in, am I a monster?

[A]

I don't think you're a monster.

[B]

Inquiring minds wants to know. My mind wants to know.

[A]

You want to know if you're a monster.

[B]

I want to know if others think I'm a monster.

[A]

Not everybody, not everybody cares for dogs. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[B]

I did. Let me backtrack a little bit. I did not say I didn't like dogs. I said there are some qualities they have that annoy me a little bit. But I do, I do see the good in them.

[A]

Okay. I believe specifically the phrase was vomit love.

[B]

Yes. Turn off the love hose is what I said.

[A]

Yes, yes. But we can agree that overall, in general, people love dogs.

[B]

Yeah. And will often put themselves in harm's way to protect them.

[A]

Therehere we go. 1925.

[B]

Boom.

[A]

We got there.

[B]

We did.

[A]

So to explore this story, we have to look at the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire ruled an area of the world that included a lot of different people, nations, languages, religions and ethnicities. And two of the peoples that they ruled, or two of the nations that were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, were the Greeks and the Bulgarians. And in 1832, Greece becomes independent. And then in 1908, Bulgaria becomes independent. And this is a very big deal to them because while they were under the thumb of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire was Islamic, and the Greeks and Bulgarians were Christians of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

[B]

And Bulgaria is considered a Balkan nation. And it is along the coastline of the Black Sea. It has vast and varying terrain, including mountains. Includes the Danube river, the famous Blue Danube of classical music fame. And it also, to some of what you said, Ben, has a very culturally diverse population. And this plays into our story in terms of dividing up some of these areas post war.

[A]

Right? Exactly. So the Ottoman Empire falls. The Balkan League begins to carve up the European side of this empire, forming Albania, which many of us will recognize from its multiple references in films like Taken. And they left Macedonia and Western Thrace. Bulgaria and Greece ostensibly had a lot of reasons to get along. They shared a religion. They both were independent from a former empire. They both also want Macedonia. And this led to tension. This resulted in a number of conflicts between the two sides along the border, leading to the Second Balkan War of 1913. And as we know just from hearing that date, 1913, there's a much bigger war on the Horizon. World War I breaks out. Bulgaria sides with Germany, Austria and Hungary and launches an attack against Serbia. And then they lose. The Allies win, and Greece has sided with the Allies. And so they are rewarded for participating with the good guys for a job well done. For a job well done. Winners write the history books. And Bulgaria is forced to give up Western Thrace. And this is a big deal, because giving up this specific area means that they lose their access to the Aegean Sea.

[B]

That's right. And so here's the thing. By 1924, the tension between Greece and Bulgaria were kind of reaching a boiling point. This region is no stranger to these kinds of tensions that have continued on throughout history. But this is one in particular we're gonna talk about. The two countries had been at each other's throats for many, many years. And there were these, I don't know what you'd call them, kind of little splinter factions, peasant groups that would cross the border between the countries because they shared a border. And they would do all kinds of damage. Property mischief, plundering livestock. And often there would be little skirmishes that would result from these seemingly innocuous enough kind of acts of anarchy. But you Know, it's a powder keg kind of situation, and one little spark can ignite a forest fire.

[A]

Right, right. And it's still sort of. You know, technically, it's terrorism. Not to drop the T word too arbitrarily, but. Yeah, you're right, Noel. These were groups like the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, imro, and the Intern Thracian Revolutionary Organization, itro. IMRO and itro. And these organizations had some control, you know what I mean, over specific areas. There was a town called Petric in southwestern Bulgaria, bordering Greece, and it was run by emro. It was almost an autonomous area. They ran the town. You know what I mean? Like, if you ever heard those stories about areas in a city where even the police won't go, watch out, kid. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[B]

Cause they own. They like, you know, it's sort of like a Gangs of New York kind of situation where they literally have everyone in their pocket, they own the streets. It's sort of like a mafia kind of situation, almost.

[A]

Yeah. Kind of similar, just in terms of control.

[B]

That's what I mean.

[A]

We're not equating these two things.

[B]

Not at all. I just mean in terms of, like, the ubiquity of a territory being owned by sort of a shadowy organization.

[A]

Yeah. I think your example is better. The reason I. I'm. I'm doing a little bit of prologue with mine is because this is how the Islamic State operated.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

But these. These groups, we would imagine, were not as. As violent and did not commit as many reprehensible acts. But they were there. They were challenging rule of law. They were also greatly contributing to these growing tensions. And in 1923, there's a prime Minister of Bulgaria. His name is Aleksandr Stamboliski. He tries to get everyone to chill out just a little bit, you know what I mean? He says, let's Greece, let's get along. Can't we all just get along? And then for the rest of the European continent, hey, Bulgaria's not that bad. You know what I mean? We're not crazy. And then the people of Bulgaria responded by ousting him in a couple.

[B]

Oh, absolutely. I want to point out one little detail I don't think we've gotten to yet. After World War I and after the Balkan War, Bulgaria and Greece were, for the first time, independent nations. And they weren't used to this. Right. This border was a super fuzzy prospect. The idea that now we're two different things. Where exactly is this border? That was a big part of why These tensions were there because it was sort of like, no, you don't get to say where the border is. And it just feels like they maybe didn't. The legwork of properly defining the border in the immediate aftermath of being free of the Ottoman Empire. Right.

[A]

Well, they. That's the thing about borders, man.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

They. They both felt like they defined it very well.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They just didn't agree on what the good definition was.

[B]

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[B]

So during one of these, what would.

[A]

Have been a skirmish.

[B]

Yeah, Exactly. Up to 17. I say up to the numbers, a little fuzzy. Bulgarians were killed. And this was really starting to contribute to suspicions by the Greeks that Bulgaria was actually supporting this Macedonian movement for independence that was going to lay claim to this territory within the Hellenic border. Can we talk a little bit about this notion of the Hellenic border, Ben?

[A]

Sure, yeah. As we mentioned earlier, the thing about this region is that this separation, this independence created a conflict because of these areas that the folks just couldn't agree on. And those areas were what we call Western Thrace and Macedonia.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So Greece believed that Bulgaria was encouraging a Macedonian separatist movement, you know, because they were.

[B]

Yeah. And most likely for completely selfish reasons in order to kind of upset the apple cart and maybe get some allies with the Macedonian separatists, get some of.

[A]

That sweet, sweet land, you know what I mean? So everyone is itching for a reason to have a genuine fight for this border tension to spark an out and out conflict. And they have guards at the border, as you do. Right. And there's a border guard on the Greek side. And this guy, like many people, owns a dog and he's so used to being on the border, or so used to these border tensions, at least that he brings his dog along with him. But he, Greece at the time doesn't have a Leash law. That's the problem. Yeah.

[B]

And I guess that's kind of why maybe this is dubbed the War of the Stray Dog, which I would argue is a misnomer, because this dog was not a stray. This dog belonged to this man who was a very loving, gentle master.

[A]

But the dog did stray from. Aha.

[B]

See, this is a semantic argument. So the dog strays, the dog makes a run for it. I don't know, he probably saw a squirrel or something. You know, one of those famous Bulgarian squirrels. Oh, yeah, that we know so well.

[A]

They're great. They're top notch squirrels.

[B]

Big, big, big squirrels. Very huge, Very large, physically. So the dog bolts for the Bulgarian side. Right. And the way I've read it was the gentleman gives chase to the dog and then ends up in Greek territory.

[A]

And this is on October 18, 1925, at a place called the Dimir Kapul Pass. And naturally, as you said, Noel, the guy goes after his dog. It's like, oh, no, Sparky, you can't be here. Or Mr. Pickles, what are you doing? Or whatever. The most popular Greek name for a dog is Casey, will you make one up just to make up A dog name? Mr. Sprinkles. Mr. Sprinkles.

[B]

Casey on the. Casey on the case, I would argue God names would be good for dogs, Greek gods. So you got like Zeus the dog or Apollo, you know, Artemis would be a good dog name. You call him Arty for short.

[A]

What about Muses? You know, I've always been partial to the name Calliope. And we don't know the gender of the dog. But anyway, this guy is yelling for his dog like, ah, you can't be here. Come back, come back. And he chases after his dog because he's a responsible pet owner, as you said. But in the Bulgarian side of the border, there are also sentries and there are also guards. And so a sentry shoots the soldier dead. And the guy never reconciles with his pooch. And this proves to be the first shot of what we now know as the war of the stray dog. As soon as one shot goes off, both sides of the border, guards on both sides start firing their rifles. There's a lull we can imagine. People are reloading. A Greek captain goes into the no man's land under a white flag. And he's waving his flag. He's like, everybody calm down. Maybe he's saying, where's the dog? Maybe he's saying, just stop shooting. This is a misunderstanding. The Bulgarians see the flag and they shoot him. Too. Along with his private, who came along as a sidekick.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Yeah, I know.

[B]

Not cool. Some real hot headed triggermen going on over there on the Bulgarian side. This was of course also near the border town of Petrich, which gives a subtitle to this conflict. The Incident at Petrich. The War of the Stray Dog.

[A]

Mm. And things may have ended there, some would say. I don't think so, because at this point, the Bulgarian side has killed three people.

[B]

Yeah, but they'd killed 17, had died before.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And that didn't start the war. So what happens? We have. It takes, not just the killings. It takes sort of a wily, crafty military mastermind to kind of set things in motion.

[A]

Right, right, right. 47 year old Lieutenant General Theodorus Pangolos, who is a dictator of Greece. He's the military dictator. He learns about these killings. He, as we can only imagine, slams his fist on the table and says, the Bulgarians, these treacherous dogs. Which would be a poor choice of words on his end. But who knows if he knew about the dog at this point. This guy, being a military dictator, was very much authoritarian, ruling with an iron fist. He said, we are gonna show these Bulgarians what's what. And this is again, just weeks after this guy installed himself as the leader of the country. He orders an entire army corps to the area and he sends a 48 hour ultimatum to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where he says, I demand the following. First, apologize for the shootings. Second, prosecute any soldier who fired a shot. And third, compensate the families of the fallen soldiers. Compensate them 6 million Greek drachmas, and that's within 48 hours. If not, there will be a war and will invade. But here's the thing, Noel. After he issued that 48 hour ultimatum, he went ahead and invaded before the 48 hours was up.

[B]

Yeah. Just to really show them that he meant business. And I don't know, that seems like a weird flex, you know, like.

[A]

Why.

[B]

Make the ultimatum if you're just going to break it before the other side has a chance to act?

[A]

Yeah, it feels like it was just a PR thing. Maybe for his domestic side, he wanted war. So they go through Bulgaria, this Greek army corps, they're doing horrible things. They're burning villages, they're looting, they're pillaging. They also start striking out at anything they consider a Macedonian enclave. Like, you're not so separate now, are you? Pop, pop, pop, pop.

[B]

And this is all for, from the Greek perspective. Like, if he's looking to use this to his advantage, it's to What? Claim more sweet, sweet land? Claim more territory. Just move that border further and further away from them.

[A]

Yeah, it's complex because it's partially that ultimately that's going to be one of their goals. To increase their geographic holdings. Their holdings, perfect. But also it's a hearts and minds thing on the dictator's end because he wants the people to see him as a competent and powerful leader. You know what I mean? He's still got that new car smell on him dictator wise. So he wants to prove that he's. Look, the easiest time for a dictator to be conquered in a coup is shortly after they have been installed in a coup that they create.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So he needs to get as popular as he can before the next angry, hot headed lieutenant general takes his head.

[B]

This doesn't exactly apply, but I think it's just a great line. There's a line in red Dead Redemption 2 where a general is trying to start a conflict with the Native Americans because they keep breaking, basically the Americans keep breaking treaties with the Native Americans. And there's a line where one of his lieutenants is kind of like he understands the plight of the Native Americans. He says of his boss, last war didn't go so well for him, so he figured he'd start in new one maybe.

[A]

Yeah, you know what, that's a good line. So how do they do. How do these belligerent Greek soldiers fare with their looting and pillaging?

[B]

Well, you know, initially pretty well. They had the element of surprise. Like maybe that's why it was the element of surprise. They say, we're going to give you a clock on this.

[A]

And then they went.

[B]

They just go ahead and do it.

[A]

So terrible.

[B]

Yeah, it doesn't really. Yeah, it's not. Not very sportsmanlike, shall we say.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So, yeah. So initially they blast in there, knock down the enemy's def defenses and drill into Bulgaria, of course, raping and looting. I'm adding raping, you gotta assume there's a little raping going along with the.

[A]

Whenever you're pillaging. Looting and pillaging, unfortunately.

[B]

And burning all these. I mean really, really scorched earth kind of warfare. Not nice.

[A]

Right. Their idea is that they're going to occupy that town. I mentioned toppetric because they wanted to incentivize the Bulgarian government, I guess. But More was an excuse to invade. And as you said in the beginning, they're doing okay primarily because they have this element of surprise. So. So once that element of surprise wears off, the Greek army finds itself in a bit of a Quagmire. It's still recovering from getting walloped, getting its. Can I say this on air? Getting its ass kicked from the 1919-1922 war with Turkey. And so it didn't have all the infrastructure it needed to sustain an army and operate in Bulgaria. So. So Panglos decides that Greece needs allies, and Athens asks Serbia to help them punish Bulgaria. And then they say, look, if you help us, if you help us fight these dirty Bulgarians, then we're going to give you a railroad corridor to a port city as well as a zone of control in the region.

[B]

This is so funny to me, though, because this is sort of like making. Counting your chickens before they hatch kind of logic, right? It's like saying, hey, here's what I'm gonna give you. If we reign supreme here once we control all that sweet, sweet borderland, Right?

[A]

But that's. I mean, that's how the game works.

[B]

That's how the game is played.

[A]

It's very much making the T shirts before you make the shirts.

[B]

That's right. You're placing bets on who the winner will be. And if you win, you win big. If you lose, you look like a real Vegas baby.

[A]

I don't know why. I just like that phrase. So the Bulgarian side does the same thing in their defense, of course.

[B]

Oh, no. Like you said, everywhere. That's what. It's what is done.

[A]

It's what is done. But they don't to just a single nation. They go to the brand spanking new League of Nations.

[B]

Now, if you're asking me, I would add a caveat, Like a bunch of babies.

[A]

Why would you add that caveat?

[B]

I just feel like that's sort of like crying, going to your mommy and saying like, you know, little Stevie's picking on me. Come help, come, you know, give him a spanking.

[A]

But that's literally what the League of Nations was supposed to be for, right? It was to prevent.

[B]

I don't know, man. I just figure, sort out your own stuff. Leave the League out of it.

[A]

It.

[B]

All right, I'm being a little hard.

[A]

It was meant, though. It was meant to, at least on paper, exercise diplomacy between nations to prevent multinational wars. You know what I mean? So this should be exactly what the League of Nations is good at doing. They intervene in the war through diplomacy, and they go to the dictator of Greece and they say, hey, hey, buckaroo, you know, I know you're a big deal and you gotta, you know, rule your people with an iron fist and all that slow jazz, but stop invading Folks. And whatever they say persuades the general now. And he says, all right, you guys rule that. I can't keep invading, so I'm gonna pull my troops back. But by the time he finally comes to heal, I feel like I'm using so many dog terms.

[B]

Well, that's important. By the time your pun game is strong.

[A]

Is that even a pun?

[B]

You know, it's sort of like Alanis Morissette's song, ironic. Is anything in that song actually ironic? I don't know.

[A]

Well, we will doggedly chase a pun if we can find one. 50 Bulgarians are dead by the time the guy finally says, okay, League of Nations, Lon, I'm out. I comply with your ruling.

[B]

Okay? And you know what? I'm gonna walk back what I said about the Bulgarians being babies for one of the League of Nations. You're right, Ben. It is what it's for. Because Greece was super overstepping, right? They were. Oh, well, I mean, you know, war is.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

War never changes. You know, from the Fallout Games. Doesn't matter. I feel like Pangalos was being super opportunistic and overstepping and really jumping the shark, shall we say, in his invasion efforts. And also, not to mention the non sportsmanlike way he totally gave them a clock on the offer of reparations and then completely went back on that.

[A]

Dirty pool, old man.

[B]

Very dirty. Very dirty. So here's the thing. The League of Nations side with the Bulgarians and they give them a little help. They send them some troops from some member nations, correct?

[A]

Yeah. And then they say, look, we don't want this to get ugly. I don't know why in my head, these guys are all calling this dictator these weird names like buckaroo, Bucky, partner. They do ask. They do ask for the dictator to pay some kind of financial compensation to Bulgaria.

[B]

Well, he did burn down, like, villages. I mean, there's gonna be, you know, some rebuilding costs associated with this.

[A]

Did you see how much they asked them to pay?

[B]

It wasn't an insignificant amount.

[A]

It was 45,000 pounds. 45,000 British pounds.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

That's it.

[B]

That's not much.

[A]

That's not much at all.

[B]

That's not gonna.

[A]

That's token.

[B]

I think this is recent enough, Ben, that we could inflation calculate that bad boy.

[A]

You are correct. Casey, could I get the cue for our handy dandy inflation calculator?

[C]

Calculating.

[A]

Perfect. All right. All right. £45,000 in 1922 is equal to. Dramatic pause. 2.49 or so million pounds in 2018.

[B]

And we didn't really see a figure for how much damage the Greek invasion cost, but seen many sources indicating that there was much burning and pillaging and looting and sacking going on. So this seems like a pretty insignificant sum. But Pangalos was still very unhappy with it. He felt that the League of Nations had given him a raw deal because they had sided against him before as well, hadn't they, Ben?

[A]

Well, he already felt that they were incredibly imbalanced and hypocritical because he said, look, we all know that the League of Nations has two sets of rules. One for nations that are powerful, like Italy, and one for us, the little guys, like Greece. And you guys are unfairly punishing us for things that you would be absolutely fine with another nation doing.

[B]

Oh, we're just trying to make our. Make our nut, you know. Yeah, we're just trying to flex a little bit of, you know, why. Why can't we be conquerors?

[A]

Right?

[B]

Everyone else gets to conquer.

[A]

Why is everybody so pro Bulgarians? We're taking some poetic license here. But, yeah, he is not happy with it. And he feels that he has been humiliated in front of his nation and on the global stage. He feels that Greece as a nation has been humiliated with his name on the marquee.

[B]

Cause here's the thing, man. When you're a dictator, I mean, your source of power comes from your ability to, like, flex and be a strong man and, like, say, you know, I am beyond reproach and I have an iron fist and no one can mess with me. It's like the same as being, like. I don't know, I'm using this example again, but, like, being a mob boss, as soon as someone sees weakness in you or you are messed with and not paid or whatever it is, you are open to being overthrown, my friend.

[A]

And, yeah, as I had mentioned earlier, when is the most likely time for a military. Military dictator to be overthrown? It's right after he overthrows someone.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Or, you know, it's right after they overthrow someone.

[B]

Or he attempts it anyway.

[A]

Yeah. And so we can only imagine that at this time, Panglosgeneral Panglos is privately worried that this may affect his ability to rule or the people's trust in him. And it turns out that he is absolutely right. He has been seen as weak on the domestic and international stage. So the very same people, the very same cadre of officers that helped him become dictator by that summer, they overthrow him and they replace him with the old guy. The earlier president of Greece just goes.

[B]

To show, you know, I mean, oftentimes these, these powerful men are representative of something going on beneath the surface. And when the shadowy cabals that run things for real beneath the surface, even under a dictatorship, the dictator has to answer to somebody a lot of the time.

[A]

Right, Right. Like even in democracies like the U.S. the president has to answer to Sheryl Crowe at some point.

[B]

She is such a monster.

[A]

I had no idea we had picked such a powerful enemy. But yeah, you're absolutely right, Noel. You're absolutely right.

[B]

Right.

[A]

He is overthrown. He vanishes from the public eye. We know a little bit about what happens to him next. And it's not especially pretty, nor is it noble, nor glorious. He's implicated in a corruption scandal. He resurfaces to endorse the pro Nazi collaborationist regime in Greece during the rise of the Nazi party. He passes away in 1952. But get this. His grandson, who shared the name Theodoros Pengalos, became deputy Prime Minister of Greece. So they kept in the family.

[B]

Yeah, they really did. And OG Pangalos withdrew from public life and wasn't really hurt from again and you know, because he kind of retired in, in shame. And this, this whole. All because of a. Straight up.

[A]

All because of a dog. We don't even know the dog's name. But I think Casey made an excellent choice with Mr. Sprinkles.

[B]

I like it too. I'm going to go with Zeus, the dog.

[A]

You're going to go with Zeus? Yeah. All right. And I guess we could speculate and say the guy probably named his dog something Greek. Right? Hey, maybe it was Panglos. Maybe that's why the dictator got so mad. But we sadly don't know what happened to the dog afterward. And for playing a very small part in this story, this unknown dog has won the name in history. It's called the Incident at Petrick. But a lot of people nowadays call it the War of the Stray Dog. We hope that you have enjoyed this episode. This brief look into to one of the many ridiculous causes for war throughout human history. Let us know some of your favorite stories about ridiculous causes for war. And hey, if you have any cool pet pictures, you can send them. I don't, I don't want to volunteer both of you guys. I just love seeing other people's pets. You can send them to us on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter. You can also find our favorite part of the show to your fellow listeners on our Facebook page. Ridiculous historians.

[B]

You can also check us out on Instagram, where we are ridiculous history. You can check me out independently. If you want to see pictures of me walking around eating croissants with my kid, that is at Embryonic Insider.

[A]

And if you want to see my various misadventures here and abroad, as well as disguises and costumes, you can follow me en Bolan on Instagram. Thanks to our super producer, Casey Pegram. Thanks to Alex Williams, who composed our track. Thanks to our research assistant, Gabe and Noel. Thank you, man. You know, I don't think you're a monster. I think you're a pretty cool dude.

[B]

Are you sure?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You kind of hurt my feelings at the top of the show.

[A]

Did I really? A little bit. Why?

[B]

Because you said you're a normal, nice human being who likes all animals, and that implied that I am some sort of subhuman monster.

[A]

No, not at all.

[B]

I'm just kidding. I am. If nothing else, I am melodramatic.

[A]

We all need a bit of drama in our lives. And I'll tell you what. I can confidently say that none of the three of us would start a war over a dog. Okay. I can. With 90% certainty. Even as I was saying that, I was thinking, well, I don't know. It depends on the dog and depends on the war. Really. Think about it.

[B]

You know, if you see. You see opportunity, I say go for it. We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.