Back in 2020 I mentioned the Australian War Memorial’s new monument for military working dogs and their handlers located in the memorial’s sculpture garden, to honour the role working dogs have played in the defence force since World War I.
The ashes of military working dog Aussie were interred there: Aussie served four deployments in Afghanistan and one in the Solomon Islands. Some 13 explosive detection dogs served in Afghanistan, and five of them were killed in action.
This year the memorial established the Australian Animal Distinguished Service Award to recognise the exceptional service of animals in defence, security and emergency services.
The first award went to Manic, a Belgian shepherd who began life in the pound, destined for the Royal Air Force — before being sold to the Australian Defence Force for just $8.
Soon known as ‘the $8 dog’, Manic went on to serve six years as a combat assault dog with the 2nd Commando Regiment, Special Operations Command in the Middle East, providing mission assistance to Australian training teams and allied forces.
For three years, Manic also supported the Tactical Assault Group, showcasing his unwavering commitment to the Australian Army.
According to the war memorial, Manic was renowned for his bravery and unyielding dedication, becoming an integral member of the teams he worked with. Now retired, Manic remains an ambassador for military working dogs, supporting several returned service leagues and charity organisations.
He advocates for the recognition and wellbeing of retired military working dogs, while enjoying his well-earned retirement.
“This is a fitting tribute to Manic, whose legacy as a military working dog continues to inspire,” said Matt Anderson, director of the Australian War Memorial.
“The Animals in War Memorial, located in the Sculpture Gardens, stands as a tribute to the animals like Manic who have served alongside Australians in conflict and operations, performing critical practical and psychological roles.”
Manic has been made an honorary member of the Cronulla RSL. The club’s community projects manager, Natalie Hawkins, said having Manic in the club led them to realise that there was limited support for military service animals once they had retired.
She said the costs of their ongoing care rested with the family that took them in after retirement and the club hoped the award would lead to more support for those families.
I did notice that the award refers to ‘animals’ rather than dogs alone and, sure enough, the medal Manic received has a horse, a cat and a pigeon engraved on it as well as a dog.
The bloke who helped design the award, Nigel Allsop, said the award wasn’t limited to canine military service animals.
He said they were also looking at a generic medal, say, for the 25,000 pigeons that served in World War II, for example. Be fun trying to pin them on — Woof!
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