Right now, there is no designated memorial in Michigan to honor horses that have served alongside military personnel or first responders. However, the Michigan War Dogs Memorial, located in South Lyon, is taking steps to change that.
Philip Weitlauf, president of the Michigan War Dogs Memorial was approached by an officer with the Oakland county mounted division a few years ago. He says she proposed introducing mounts into the memorial. “Once they pass away, their ashes are just put on the shelf. Well, that’s not good. They need to be honored as well,” he said.
The organization is working on constructing a memorial site where law enforcement mounts can be laid to rest. After consideration about the space it would take to lay horses to rest, Michigan War Dogs Memorial settled on erecting a columbarium. Weitlauf elaborated on the memorial’s intentions, stating, “We will actually photo-etch a picture of the horse, his name and what his duties were. His birth year and his death year, so if someone comes to visit him to show their respect for what he did in serving us, they’ll see exactly what that horse looked like.”
A columbarium, named for its resemblance to housing for carrier pigeons, serves as a final resting place for cremated remains. The Michigan War Dogs Memorial plans to model the new columbarium after one already on the grounds, which currently holds the remains of Australian military dogs. The Michigan War Dogs Memorial assumes all costs associated with laying service dogs to rest, and the same will be true for the service horses.
The installation of the columbarium is expected to incur an estimated cost of approximately $18,000 that will need to be raised via donations. Weitlauf says that while the memorial is looking into fundraising this summer, nothing is currently slated. You can donate to Michigan War Dogs Memorial via PayPal or mailed check.
More information can be found here.
