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Francis “Earl” Staples



Francis “Earl” Staples, 94, of Fairfield, Calif., passed away on March 14, 2015. Earl was born Sept. 10, 1920, to Alfred and Loretta Staples in Butte, Mont. Earl was a World War II Army veteran stationed in Hawaii where he trained thousands of war dogs.

Read more here: Obituary Francis Staples




FAIRFIELD — Whenever Francis “Earl” Staples spotted someone having trouble with their dog while walking past his Rolling Hills home, he would get up from his chair and give them pointers on how better train their canine companions. Staples, 94, who passed away March 16, should know.

He was one of the first Army dog trainers of World War II, part of a team that trained more than 5,000 dogs for sentry duty, to sniff out mines and carry messages across the battlefields of the Pacific.

“He loved dogs and he was delighted to be training them,” said his wife Carolyn Matthews-Staples who recounted her husband’s service.

Staples, one of the last dog trainers of World War II, will have a memorial service held at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery on Friday

Read more here: Local World War II dog trainer to be remembered