View Monuments to the Dogs To Be Remembered

A dog is a man’s best friend, so no wonder that in many countries people decided to commemorate this wonderful animals.

Moscow, Russia. 50 years ago, 12th of April 1961 Yuri Gagarin made a first journey into outer space. However, few years before that, in 1957, a Soviet dog Laika became the first animal launched into orbit, paving the way for human space missions. On April 11, 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument to Laika. A small monument in her honor was built near the military research facility in Moscow which prepared Laika’s flight to space. It features a dog standing on top of a rocket.

Krakow, Poland. Dzok, the dog. The most faithful canine friend, ever epitomizing a dogs boundless devotion to his master. Throughtout the entire year /1990-1991/ Dzok was seen waiting in vain at the Rondo Grunwaldzkie roundabout to be fetched back by his master, who had passed away at the very site.

Honfleur, France. Mou-Mou is a dog from a short story of  Ivan Turgenev. She is depicted with mermaid tail in this monument to victims of love.

Another Mou-Mou monument in St-Petersburg, Russia.

Poland, Torun. Monument of Filus at the Old Town Market. (Filus is a fictional dog created by Polish cartoonist Zbigniew Lengren.)

Cleveland, Ohio, USA. “Smoky, the Yorkie Doodle Dandy, and Dogs of All Wars”. The bronze little-size sculpture of Smoky sitting in GI helmet, is dedicated to the most famous dog of WWII, a four-pound Yorkshire terrier. Smoky, who was found in an abandoned foxhole in the jungles of New Guinea, came to be owned and trained by William A. Wynne, a photo specialist in the Army Air Corps. Wynne trained Smoky to do several hundred tricks, took her to visit wounded and sick troops in hospitals and carried her along on 12 air rescue missions. Smoky joined the ranks of “war dog hero” when she pulled a line through a 70-foot culvert, enabling vital communications lines to be run under newly captured air taxiways, thus saving the many war planes stationed there from exposure to enemy fire and near-certain destruction.

Nakonpatom, Thailand. It is the monument to Ya-Le, a cross breed dog in Sanam Chandra Palace. Ya-Le was King Vajiravudh’s favorite and had always accompanied him. One day Ya-Le was shot dead by an envious man and the king commanded to have a monument constructed as his commemorative in front of Chali Mongkhon At Building in the compound of Sanam ChanPalace.

The Bluff, Alexandra Headland, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Australian War Dog Memorial. The monument recognizes the enormous contribution by the war dogs that saved countless soldiers lives in Vietnam. At the base of the rock at the foot of the carving is a drinking through where local dog owners can water their animals while walking their dogs.

Singapore. A sculpture by Chern Lian Shan at Singapore Riverwalk.

Tokyo, Japan. The bronze statue outside Shibuya Station honors a dog named Hachiko, who lived in Tokyo in the 1920s. He met his master at the station after work every day. After the man’s death, Hachiko kept showing up at the train station, waiting for the person who never arrived. He kept up his vigil until his own death 11 years later.

Mechelen, Belgium. In his sculpture in Botanical Garden of Mechelen sculptor Rik Van Perck depicted the tale in which a dog has saved a girl from water.

Hope, Canada. Chip Service Dog Monument. Chip was an R.C.M.P. Police Service Dog who died in the line of duty while protecting his partner, Constable Doug Lewis. Touched by the police dog’s bravery and loyalty to his handler, the citizens of Hope, Canada erected a monument carved out of wood that depicts a dog standing on a mountainside in Chip’s honor.

Westland, Michigan, USA. The wooden statue honors Westland’s Police Dog “Zeek”.

Moscow, Russia. “Compassion”. A monument to a dog killed in metro station by a crazy model.

Wanaka, New Zealand. This monument is dedicated to the loyal sheep dogs that helped the locals with their daily tasks.

Alabama, USA. Since the 1920s, people of Bullock County have held bird dog competitions to gauge a hunting dog’s ability to locate and point out quail. In 1996, the town of Union Springs erected a statue of an English Pointer as a monument to the Bird Dog Field Trial Hall of Fame.

New York, USA. 9/11 Memorial Garden.

Dogny Art 2002. New York, USA. DOGNY – America’s Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs is a public art initiative commissioned by the American Kennel Club to honor the search and rescue dogs involved in post-September 11th operations and to raise money to support future endeavors. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and Shanksville, PA, teams of handlers and dogs rushed in to assist in locating survivors. The AKC wanted to acknowledge these dogs with a public show of appreciation and a national effort to support their future missions. For this reason, AKC President and CEO Dennis B. Sprung created DOGNY. On the first anniversary of September 11, AKC and its affiliates, companies in the pet products industry, and many other organizations worked together to display over 100 uniquely painted sculptures of a Search and Rescue Dog throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, United Kingdom. ‘Squadron Dog’, representing the mascots of all Fighter Command squadrons in 1940. 

Snake Gully, Australia. The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, five miles (8 km) from Gundagai, New South Wales. It was sculpted by local stonemason Frank Rusconi and was unveiled by the then Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons on 28 November 1932 as a tribute to pioneers. The statue was inspired by a bullock driver’s poem, Bullocky Bill, which celebrates the life of a mythical driver’s dog that loyally guarded the man’s tuckerbox (lunch box) until death.

Arizona, USA. Police K-9 Memorial

Spaarnwoude, the Netherlands

Antwerpen, Belgium

Utah, USA. Utah Law Enforcement Memorial

Stanislaus County, USA. Sheriff’s Department K9 Memorial

London, United Kingdom

Vologda, Russia

Kangal, Turkey

Hartsdale, New York, USA. The War Dog Memorial. Since ancient times, canine warriors have served as sentries, messengers and scouts.  During World War I, the media frequently reported about acts of bravery and heroism on the battlefields by dogs that had been pressed into service. The War Dog Memorial was erected in 1923.  The unveiling was attended by representatives of every nation that fought in the Great War.

Novovoronezhsk, Russia. A monument to a dog called Bim, the character of G. Troyepolsky novel ‘White Bim – Black Ear’ erected near the Puppet Theater.