Lest We Forget: Remembering the People & Animals Who Served

When we think of Remembrance Day, we picture the men and women who served, and the sacrifices they made for the freedom we enjoy today. But they didn't always serve alone. In wars around the world, animals served too, and many never came home.

Horses and mules carried supplies, hauled heavy equipment, and pulled ambulances across ground no vehicle could cross. Dogs worked as messengers, sentries, and searched for animals, running through danger to deliver what soldiers needed. Pigeons carried urgent messages when every other form of communication failed. They didn't choose this work. They did it out of loyalty, courage, and trust in the people beside them.

Many of these animals were lost on the battlefield, and so many more were never recognized for what they gave. Their bravery has since been honoured, including through the Dickin Medal, created to recognize animals who showed extraordinary courage in service during war.

Here at the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, we spend our days believing in the bond between people and animals. It's a bond that has been carried through every chapter of our history, including the hardest ones. Remembering the animals and people who served is a way of honouring that bond and everything they gave to the people they loved.

This Remembrance Day, as we pause for a moment of silence, we remember all those who gave their lives for our freedom, human and animal alike.

Lest we forget.