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Smoky - Yorkie Doodle Dandy

Location: Cleveland Metroparks, Rocky River Reservation, Ohio
Sculptor: Susan Bahary
Dedicated: 11/11/2005

 

 

The most famous dog of WWII, Smoky was a four-pound Yorkshire terrier.  Nearby, a colorful information plaque listed other famous war dogs, Stubby, Nemo, Caesar and Chips, as well as Smoky.  Smoky, who was found in an abandoned foxhole in the jungles of New Guinea, came to be owned and trained by William A.  Wynne, a photo specialist in the Army Air Corps.  Wynne trained Smoky to do several hundred tricks, took her to visit wounded and sick troops in hospitals and carried her along on 12 air rescue missions.  Smoky joined the ranks of "war dog hero" when she pulled a line through a 70-foot culvert, enabling vital communications lines to be run under newly captured air taxiways, thus saving the many war planes stationed there from exposure to enemy fire and near-certain destruction.

 

 

After the war, Smoky continued to entertain troops and civilians alike.  Smoky died in 1957 at 14.  In 1996, Wynne wrote Yorkie Doodle Dandy, a Memoir, which continues to be a popular seller today.  The War Dog memorial fulfills Wynne's decades-long dream and immortalizes a very special little dog, who was not only a famous "war dog" but also the "first therapy dog of record," according to researchers at TV's Animal Planet.  The Yorkshire Terrier breed has grown in popularity since Smoky was found in New Guinea.  Only 65 Yorkies were registered with the AKC that entire year.  Now, approximately 5,000 a month are registered.  Susan Bahary of California was commissioned to create the beautiful sculpture of Smoky.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK:

 

http://www.baharystudios.com/smoky.html