Vietnam War Dog MemorialPrint Page 
![12-July-2001 [Stephen Warren]](https://monumentaustralia.org.au/content/directory/thumb/Vietnam_War_Dog_Memorial-103134-94422.jpg "12-July-2001 [Stephen Warren]")
![27-April-2011 [Roger Johnson]](https://monumentaustralia.org.au/content/directory/thumb/Vietnam_War_Dog_Memorial-103135-94422. "27-April-2011 [Roger Johnson]")
The memorial commemorates the tracker dogs which served in the Vietnam War.
In Vietnam, there were two black Labrador tracker dogs attached to each Australian battalion. An integral part of a small team of 6 soldiers, they were working dogs rather than pets, which made the bond between the animals and their handlers that much stronger. The men relied on them to locate the enemy and to prevent them walking into ambushes and enemy booby traps. They entrusted their lives to the tracker dogs. A handler’s dog was ‘his best mate’, so it was heart-breaking for the handlers to have to part with their dogs when they finished their tour of duty in Vietnam.
The dogs had a 3 year tour of duty, unlike their handlers who usually spent one year there. Australian quarantine laws prohibited the dogs from returning home with their handlers. In 1968 the Army decided that the dogs would be kept in the battalion as ‘reserves’ when they finished their ‘active service’. They were then to be passed on as pets to European or Australian families living in Saigon.
Location
| Address: | Military Road, Moonta Vietnam Vets Club, Moonta, 5558 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.068988 Long: 137.592972 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Culture |
| Sub-Theme: | Animals |
Dedication
Vietnam Veterans Assocation of Australia - Copper Coast Sub-Branch
Vietnam War Dog Memorial
Dedicated to the Australian tracker dogs that served in South Vietnam 1967 - 1971
They did not return from war
Caesar, Janus, Juno, Marcian, Milo, Trajan, Cassius, Julian,
Justin, Marcus, Tiber.
Down jungle tracks, through shot and shell, ears pricked, keen sense of smell ;
our tracker dogs with care and poise, alert to ambush, foreign noise ;
never whimper, whine nor bark, their service honoured with this plaque,
no medals pinned to hairy chest, they stayed behind, they were the best.
All gave something, some gave all, those who knew you, will never forget you.
This memorial is the realisation of a dream of the late Rex Mitchell (9RAR)
R I P.
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Cassius
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Justin
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Caesar
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Marcus
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Julian
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Tiber
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Milo
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Marcian
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Trajan
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
Plaque :
Vietnam War Dog
Janus
Served South Vietnam 1967 - 71 with the Royal Australian Regiment
