Always Faithful, is an exact replica of sculptress Susan Bahary’s monument at the Guam Marine War Dog Cemetery that honors the 25 Marine Dobermans that died helping American soldiers liberate the island of Guam during World War II. The Guam sculpture was dedicated on June 20, 1994. The UT replica, a gift of Dr. Maurice Acree, retired pathologist and client of the Veterinary College who also established a $1.23 million endowment to support small animal research at the college, was dedicated on July 17, 1998. Bahary took the name of her sculpture from the title of a book about the heroism of the war dogs written by veterinarian Dr. William W. Putney. A retired commanding officer of the 3rd Marine War Dog Platoon, Putney attended the UT ceremony, as did five other marines who served as dog handlers at Guam. A total of 1,047 dogs were enlisted in World War II, with 465 serving in combat. The World War II War Dog Platoons were disbanded in August 1945.
The oldest war dog memorial was established by private contributions in 1922 at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, commemorating the service of war dogs in World War I. The 10-foot high monument of a Shepherd dog was designed and built by Robert Caterson. Among other tributes to war dogs, Vietnam Era war dogs are remembered by memorials at March Air Force Base in California and at the Infantry School on Fort Benning, Georgia. Other war dog memorials include a state of New Jersey Memorial and memorials in Pennsylvania and Alabama.