BRIGHTON – A war dog memorial in South Lyon has given 73 military animals a formal, honorable farewell.
A dozen of those memorials were funded by a single Brighton company that identifies with the message.
Linda and Craig Suter, owners of Big Frog Custom T-shirts in Brighton, have been working with the Michigan War Dog Memorial for some time. In total, the company has donated nearly $10,000 through its online store.
The Michigan War Dog Memorial is located in South Lyon. Big Frog is located at 9690 Village Place Boulevard in Brighton.
Linda and Craig heard about the monument when a volunteer offered them a tour.
The couple had dogs, but they recently died. Craig said he and Linda loved their dogs, but added that handlers who lose their dogs also lose their partners.
“(The memorial) provides a respectful place to honor not only the dog, but also the handlers who lost their best friends – to show them that the community truly appreciated all they did and to share in their grief about the passing of these service animals,” Craig said.
Six years ago, after learning the monument had been vandalized, the Suters helped the organization purchase security cameras and lighting. This led to a collaboration with Phil and Barb Weitlauf, who erected the monument.
“(It’s) a bootstrap project from the local community – it’s an American gem right now, as far as I’m concerned,” Craig said. “They did a great job with it.”
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Handlers can bring their military working dogs to the monument for an official ceremony. The organization offers a ‘howling team’ of seven dogs that howl for 21 seconds as a farewell gesture.
“There’s never a dry eye in the house,” Linda said. “It’s one of the most emotional ceremonies I’ve ever been to.”
The Michigan War Dog Memorial holds ceremonies almost every weekend throughout the summer. It also created a Path of Honor and a memorial wall reminiscent of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC
“What they’re doing there has been a great thing for all service animals,” Linda said.
Learn more at mwdm.org.
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: War Dog Memorial in South Lyon gives pups a formal farewell
