I feel like I’m perhaps rudely stretching the definition of weird here, as this is a World War II memorial, but to be fair it is a WWII memorial dedicated to a Yorkshire terrier.

Smoky was a dog found in a foxhole in New Guinea in 1944. She didn’t understand any commands in Japanese or English, but was sold to Corporal William A. Wynne. I genuinely think Swedish power metal band Sabaton needs to write a song about her, but in an effort to keep things light and Cleveland-y, I’ll let you go out and read more about on your own. Incidentally, if anyone has a copy of Wynne’s memoir Yorkie Doodle Dandy I really would like to read it.

In any case, she’s credited in some circles as reviving the popularity of the Yorkshire terrier breed and for being the first official therapy dog. Depending on where you look, it’s also said she may be interred near this memorial in an old ammo box. I’ve found accounts that make it sound official, others that make it sound like something Wynne did himself illicitly, and in some places it’s simply not mentioned at all. The artist maintains a page about the memorial and the story behind it on her website.

Given the canine nature of this, I did my best to get my dog Cecilia to sit nearby. She was far more interested in people on the nearby bike path.