Ohio

National Fire Dog Monument stops in Ohio en route to its D.C. home

The National Fire Dog Monument stopped in Reynoldsburg, Ohio this June on its 8-day tour across the country to its final destination in Washington D.C.

America’s first “National Fire Dog Monument” took its place along with other venerable symbols of the nation’s gratitude in Washington, D.C. after making a 2,000-mile cross-country tour honoring firefighters, law enforcement professionals, and their invaluable arson dogs in communities across the United States.

The 450-pound, seven-foot-high bronze sculpture of an arson dog and a firefighter started its voyage in Denver, Colorado on June 21 and made its way through 12 major cities to its destination in the nation’s capital.

The National Fire Dog Monument was sculpted by 22-year-old Colorado firefighter Austin Weishel, perhaps the youngest artist ever to have a monument erected in Washington, and pays tribute to the teamwork between humans and their canine companions in solving arson crimes. The sculpture, “From Ashes to Answers,” was commissioned by Jerry Means, an arson investigation agent with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Means’ own arson dog, Sadie, received national attention last year as the winner of the 2011 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™ in the category of Law Enforcement/Arson Dog and was a model for the sculpture.

Arson dogs – also known as accelerant detection canines – are trained to sniff out and indicate traces of petroleum products such as gasoline or lighter fluid that might have been used to start a fire. The traces are sampled and sent to a lab for identification. To become certified for the work, the dogs and their handlers undergo many weeks of professional training and must pass yearly testing to maintain their certification.

The National Fire Dog Monument tour is sponsored by State Farm and American Humane Association. Since 1993 State Farm has provided funding for the acquisition and training of arson dogs in the United States and Canada, placing more than 300 arson dog teams in 44 U.S. states, 3 Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia. American Humane Association works to ensure the welfare, wellness and well-being of children and animals, and to unleash the full potential of the bond between humans and animals to the mutual benefit of both.

Each year the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™ honors ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, and has a special category for Law Enforcement/Arson Dogs. More information is available at www.herodogawards.org. In addition to its organizational support of the nonprofit set up by Mr. Means to make this project possible, American Humane Association helped secure the support of two generous Colorado philanthropists, Fred and Jana Bartlit, to help underwrite the cost of creating the statue.