Bill would establish a site on the National Mall to honor service animals and their handlers

WASHINGTON — A House lawmaker who is a retired Navy pilot introduced a bill to establish a location for the first national monument honoring the contributions of service animals and their handlers, including those serving in the armed services and in assisting veterans.

The National Service Animals Monument Location Act would authorize placement of the tribute at an undetermined site on the National Mall.

“Our nation is forever indebted to the generations of extraordinary military working animals that have served our country,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., who is leading the bill with Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.

The monument will pay tribute to the dogs, horses, carrier pigeons and other animals that have worked with the military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and people with disabilities.

“The bill designates the National Mall as the site for a permanent monument, with the exact location to be determined,” said Kiggans, who is a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee.

She and Davis also are the co-chairs of the Working Dog Caucus, which they founded in 2024.

The bill was referred in July to the House Committee on Natural Resources, where it is expected to be reviewed after Congress convenes in September.

Kyle Adams, a Marine Corps veteran with PTSD, said he will welcome a national monument for service animals.

Adams credits his Akita for helping him manage the stress and anxiety he experiences from post-traumatic stress disorder, connected to military combat in the Middle East.

His service dog is trained to place his head on Adams’ lap or to reach up and touch him whenever he senses that Adams is overwhelmed.

“The real benefit is that when I’m in a triggering situation, his alert forces me to shift my attention away from whatever is causing the anxiety and focus on him instead,” Adams said. “I have to acknowledge him, give commands, maintain his obedience, and interact with him.”

The effort to establish the national monument is endorsed by multiple nonprofits that provide service animals to veterans.

They include Paws for Purple Hearts, Canine Companions and America’s VetDogs.

“We are honored to be supporting the National Service Animals Monument,“ the U.S. War Dogs Association said when it hosted an event called “Bonds of Service” to raise funds for the development.

Congress in 2022 approved the national monument itself, to be located on federal land in the greater Washington, D.C., area. The project will cost an estimated $30 million with a completion date of 2032.

No public dollars will be used for the development, which is being funded with private donations, supporters said. A $1 million gift was pledged in March by the U.S. War Dogs Association.

The goal is to locate the commemorative work in the National Mall Reserve, a protected area stretching from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial.

The D.C. memorial will be the first congressionally authorized monument that honors all types of service animals and their handlers, supporters said.

Across the nation, there are other tributes that are specific to certain combat sites and to service animals.

The U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas honors military service dogs and their handlers.

In Guam, the “Always Faithful” memorial at the National War Dog Cemetery pays tribute to canines killed in combat in World War II. That monument, unveiled in 1994, was sculpted by Susan Bahary, who was tapped to create the National Service Animals Monument.

The Pledge, created by sculptor Susan Bahary, shows a woman in full combat gear kneeling in front of her military working dog. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery. (Susan Bahary)

Bahary has completed a conceptual rendering for the future monument but emphasized that the final design process will not begin until site selection is complete.

That final design will be determined in association with the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, she said.

The memorial itself will be interactive for visitors and include QR codes that can be scanned to reveal the stories of specific animals and their handlers throughout history, Bahary said.

“Service animals and their handlers have such a broad story starting from George Washington to today,” Bahary said. “They are an integral part of America’s fabric.”

This drawing is a visual concept for a congressionally authorized monument to honor service animals and their handlers, including military working dogs and service animals for disabled veterans. A bill before Congress would authorize a site on the National Mall for the monument. (Susan Bahary)