What an honor to create a commissioned dog monument for Defense

Unveiling of the dog monument

It feels like a great honor to be make a dog monument commissioned for Defense. The monument was unveiled by Major General R. Adang, together with Adjutant W. Stevens and me on Monday, October 2nd, at the National Military Museum (former airbase) in Soesterberg.

Dog monument in honor of all service dogs and their handlers

For more than 70 years, the the working dog serve a unique and valuable contribution to carrying out tasks for Defense. Throughout the year, they are deployed 24/7 in the Netherlands and during international missions where they make a valuable contribution to peace, freedom, and security. The monument stands for appreciation for all service dogs and their handlers at Defense . .

Deployment medal for the dog

Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Mali, and the Middle East. The four-legged companions have served in almost all military missions over the past 25 years. For their indispensable contribution, they have been receiving a deployment medal since 2014, simultaneously with the medal for the handler. The only thing still awaited was a monument to honor the loyal animal and acknowledge and reflect on all their hard and important work 

What an honor

What an honor to make a dog monument in commission for Defense. As a dog lover myself, I considered it a great honor that I could create this dog monument Furthermore, I found it very interesting to delve into 'The Working Dog.' As part of that, I also visited the dog section at Volkel to study this. I created this dog monument with a lot of love for dogs.

Do you want to view the dog monument?

The dog monument is publicly viewable during the opening days of the National Military Museum in Soesterberg.