A memorial dedicated to military working dogs and their handlers has been unveiled at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra.
Acting Director of the AWM, Major General (Ret’d) Brian Dawson said the new memorial served as a reminder of the invaluable contribution of military working dogs, as well as the special bond between dogs and their handlers.
“The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a long tradition of working with dogs, from the First World War through to operations in places such as Afghanistan, East Timor and Somalia,” Major General (Ret’d) Dawson said.
“In 2017, the ADF commissioned the Canine Operations Service Medal, becoming the first military in the world to specifically recognise and honour the contributions of military working dogs.”
He said the memorial Circling into sleep honoured generations of dogs who had served, given their unconditional loyalty and, in many cases, their lives to a common cause.
“Dogs including Aussie, whose ashes are interred here, have detected explosives, searched for and attacked the enemy, provided base security, and laid their lives on the line to save others,” Major General Dawson said.
He said the memorial had been created by artist Steven Holland with help from an Explosive Detection Dog named Billie and her handler.
“Billie was trained to walk in a tight circle on a bed of soft clay to create the paw-print track which spirals into the memorial, representing the steps of a dog as it circles into sleep,” Mr Holland said.
“This is the dogs’ memorial – it is low to the ground and humble,” he said.
“The tear stone and the paw prints symbolise the remembrance of military dogs.”
