In the 1900s, Lt. Colonel Edwin Hautenville Richardson trained various breeds of dogs for the First World War and convinced the US government that the Airedale Terrier was a soldier’s best bet for a four-legged friend beside him on the front lines.
“Even before the war, the potential for dogs to carry out military duties was clear. It started off with the British Red Cross and they used to send the dogs out onto the battlefield,” English Journalist Wendy Turner Webster said in an interview with BBC.
The Airedale Terriers were typically used as messengers in the trenches, but they would also search for wounded warriors on the battlefield. When they would eventually find the wounded soldier(s), the dogs would return to base with a personal effect of the soldier’s and lead the others to where the dogs found the wounded. They were also used during World War II.
English sculptor Bruce Walker and his apprentice Kevin Hill are the artists behind this 30-ton block of an idea.
“The sculpture [will] capture the dogs’ dedication and power, both mental and physical. It’s their relationship with their handler that’s important–it was usually one man, one dog,” Walker said.
The sculpture is said to be the largest in the United Kingdom.
The Tiger Times 
Posted on February 12, 2019 by thetigertimes7
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