The Veterans Memorial Park in Bass River, N.S. is home to one of Canada’s only monuments for military and service animals.
On Remembrance Day, the community honoured its veterans as well as the animals that have also served our country.
“Sometimes people just look at them as a piece of equipment, but I know, to dog handlers, my canine partner is far more than a piece of equipment. He is a loyal partner,” says Sgt. Duane Rutledge of New Glasgow Police.
When Noah Tremblay was 11 years old he did a project on animals that served in the wars and envisioned a monument to honour their contributions.
Through fundraising and perseverance, his dream became a reality. The monument was placed in the Bass River Veterans Memorial Park last summer.
Today, 13-year-old Tremblay is proud to place a wreath in memory of the animals he read so much about.
“This is what I wanted all along, to see a monument put up for these animals and just to see them being recognized for what they did for our country and what they’re doing for today too,” says Tremblay. “They’re helping to save lives and keeping our country safe.”
This is the second Remembrance Day during which the forgotten heroes monument has been a part of the community service. Some say it is an idea that was long overdue.
“It had never been done before,” says Karen Ewing with the Veterans Memorial Park. “The fact that we would have remembrance of the animals of war, another part of the service, it would be wonderful.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
