War Dog tribute stands tall in South Lyon, Michigan

"Stop! Go back!"

I'd spotted a large German Sheppard statue mounted on a headstone in a field along Milford Road in South Lyon, Michigan, when Tim heard those familiar words.

You never know what you'll see if you miss a turn and end up taking a slightly different route to your destination. Tim did just that one recent day, and we ended up finding a pet cemetery with a monument honoring service dogs that served during World Wars I and II.

The Happy Hunting Grounds Pet Cemetery lay largely forgotten for many years until one U.S. Army veteran discovered it and marshaled a group of community volunteers to clean up the site and properly recognize some unsung heroes and beloved members of many area families.

Milford AMVETS (American Veterans) Post member Phil Weitlauf heard about the cemetery, but his disappointment after visiting it and discovering a weed- and brush-choked lot where the underbrush and bug-infested conditions discouraged visitors and obscured the large War Dog marker from view spurred him into action to more properly honor those buried there.

Weitlauf enlisted members of his AMVETS post for a clean-up project and gathered more volunteers from other community organizations as word spread about the neglected burial grounds.

Highland Park veterinarian Steve Elkow and his family established the pet cemetery in 1936 and erected the War Dog tribute in 1946.

Although service dogs assisted American soldiers before World War II, their service became official on March 13, 1942, when the U.S. Army Quartermaster received orders to secure dogs for military service.

Military records report that service dogs saved 15,000 lived in World War II, 10,000 lives during the Vietnam conflict, and service dogs continue to save lives in places like the Middle East today.

The use of military K-9s tripled in the wake of 9/11, and service dogs also work with police departments, the FBI, border patrols, and other security organizations.

Sparks, a war hero who served with the Marines in Guadalcanal in 1943 and earned seven citations, rests beneath the War Dog headstone.

Meanwhile, the Happy Hunting Grounds also became the final resting place for many beloved pets that included dogs, as well as mice, rabbits, parrots, and even a horse throughout the years.

Pet burials continued at the site into the early 1970s, but by 1975, burials ceased as caretaker Steve Elkow died and no one else stepped in to operate the cemetery.

The next several decades saw the cemetery neglected and vandalized.

The pet cemetery's future looked even bleaker as a developer acquired the property and began work on a residential subdivision nearby. The developer, however, agreed to preserve the burial grounds if local groups committed to maintaining the site.

A life-sized bronze statue of a dog standing over a fallen rifle that stood atop the War Dog headstone disappeared in late 1995. Two boys discovered it two years later in a field and reported it to the police, who returned the statue to the Elkow family.

The family opted not to replace the dog at the cemetery, so another statue of a German Sheppard now stands proudly atop the headstone. The current statue caught my eye as we zipped along Milford Road, causing us to turn around and stop for a closer look.

It turns out that we visited just several days after a special ceremony honoring service dogs took place at the cemetery.

More than 100 veterans and others gathered at the cemetery on March 10 (the Saturday before our visit on March 14) to honor service dogs on active duty, as well as retired and deceased service dogs, with an hour-long ceremony.

Weitlauf helped organized the ceremony and persuade Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to proclaim March 13 as an annual K-9 Veterans Day.

The Happy Hunting Grounds is home to one of just a few service dog memorials in the country, and Michigan is one of a handful of states to establish a day honoring them. Weitlauf and others hope to persuade the rest of the states to establish a day honoring K-9 veterans.

Want to learn more? Check out Cry Havoc: The History of War Dogs by Nigel Allsopp, War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism by Michael G. Lemish, or The Dogs of War: The Courage, Love, and Loyalty of Military Working Dogs by Lisa Rogak.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Comments

[Heidi Bey]

I am wring to Thank Phil for the wonderful presentation at the Highland Adult Activity Center's Veterans Event on Friday December 7, 2012. Also, for receiving the Proclamation from Oakland County for the Center. The Honor is mine to have shared the day with a group of remarkable men and women.

Heidi Bey
HAAC Director

[Dominique King]

Hello Heidi-

Thanks for stopping by...but I don't have any way of connecting directly to Phil to deliver your kind message. You can try connecting with him via LinkedIn or maybe via the Milford AMVETS http://www.milfordlegion216.org/1/legion/index.asp

[Phil Weitlauf]

Thanks Heidi,

It was my pleasure to present the presentation "Tribute to War Dogs".
As to the Michigan War Dog Memorial on Milford Rd and 11 Mile we still have a lot of work to do. If anybody can help us fund it, it would be appreciated. Send donation to: AmVet-Post 2006, PO Box 48, Highland, Mi 48357. Tag check "War Dog Memorial Fund"

Thank You
Phil Weitlauf

[Johannes B. Brenner]

I was overwhelmed. Went to South Lyon High School Drama's last day for "Anything Goes"
5/5/2013, took different route home back tracked and discovered the Pet Cemetery?? What? a beautiful dedication to the pets of WWI and WWII, I was and am overwhelmed. I don't have dogs I have cats but they are a tribute (all animals and their owners) to those lucky enough to have their own therapists living amongst them. God Bless MILVETS and South Lyon and the Pet Cemetery

[Johannes B. Brenner]

What a significant attribute to "Dogs" serving on the front line WWI and WWII as well as other pets buried there, Amazing that the human race still holds true virtue's of "Man's Best Friend" or "Woman's Best Friend too". Finally I found "proof" that there are people who really do care and commemorate the animals we all have loved and cherish.I am so glad that I went to see a musical at SLHS 5/5/2013 otherwise I would have never stumbled across this War Memorial for Dogs. GBA and her Dogs!!!!!

[Dominique King]

Thanks for stopping by, Johannes!
Funny how you and I discovered this place in almost exactly the same way (taking a different route home from elsewhere).
I agree that it's a lovely story and tribute well-deserved by these pets and their loyalty.

[christine benson]

Thank you, for your article. I drove past the Happy Hunting Grounds Cemetery on my way to an appointment. Upon seeing the German Shepard on top to the Monument noted "War Dog" I was drawn to turn around, stop and walk into the cemetery. I have read the
book Rin Tin Tin, learning the history of the German Shepard and history of dogs in wars. With this, and my love for dogs, I was very moved by the honor bestowed (deservingly )for these wonderful steadfast heroes and companions.
My question: Is the cemetery going through restoration? I was concerned to find thirty or more headstones which were originally placed in front of the War Dog monument, stacked in the back of the cemetery. Can you offer me information on this concern?

[Dominique King]

Christine-
Thanks for stopping by. The cemetery now has a Web site dedicated to it, and according to that site, the restoration started in 2010 continues at the present time. Lots of great information and photos about the memorial, history of military working dogs, and the ongoing restoration here http://www.mwdm.org/