Hero dogs have been honored with a memorial in France as a mark of respect for their work with soldiers, police, and rescue teams, reports ABC News.
Officials unveiled the memorial in the commune of Suippes in northeastern France last week, in front of the town hall. It honors dogs across Europe who’ve worked hard for over a century.
A Good Location for a Memorial
Suippes boasts the largest military kennel in Europe, making it a fitting location. Here, the French army’s 132nd canine infant regiment train dogs ready for military duty. Currently, the regiment includes 650 personnel and 550 dogs – some of the canines attended the inauguration of the memorial.
French-Colombian artist Milthon created a sculpture of a First World War soldier and his dog. The memorial is meant to reflect the service and efforts of both military and civilian hero dogs. The war affected Suippes, the town seeing a lot of conflict between 1914 and 1918.
At the ceremony, tributes were paid to Diesel, a police dog who was killed in a raid as part of an investigation into the November 2015 Paris attacks, and Leuk, a dog who was killed in Mali in 2019.
Becoming Dog-Tired
Some of the dogs honored had the role of finding drugs and explosives. Some work in Metropolitan France while others work overseas in regions including French Guiana. Many dogs are from France themselves, while others are from other European countries including Netherlands and Germany. Some join when they’re around 18 months old, while others join up as puppies. Either way, they have to pass certain tests before they start work.
“It’s very important [recognition] because dogs, like human beings, carry out missions, but we don’t ask them for their opinion,” said Johan, an officer. “So to me, it’s fair to give them back a medal.”
