The statue of Treo 63 DM, a black labrador retriever-english springer spaniel army dog is located at the entrance to the Community Garden on Lawton Street.
The sculpture that cost £14,000 was created by Amy Goodman and was unveiled on Thursday 26th October 2017.
The life size sculpture is mounted on a stone block that is inscribed as follows;
'(Medal etched at the top of the stone)
PDSA
For
Gallantry
WE ALSO SERVE'
'Search
& Secure
________
DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF
TREO 63 DM
AND OTHER SERVICE
ANIMALS WHO LOYALLY
SERVED US'
There are two plaques situated at the base of the stone that read as follows;
'Treo
Treo 63 DM was a highly awarded
army dog. He was awarded the
animal equivalent to the
Victoria Cross. He retired from the
army in 2010 and lived out the
rest of his life in Congleton with
his handler'
'"Treo 63 DM"
Sculpted by Amy Goodman
Unveiled on 26th October 2017
By his Comrade and 'dad' Dave Heyhoe. Together they saved
many lives
in Afghanistan; and 'Founder' Steven Ashton.
With thanks to contributors WJ Group,
And all other generous members of the public and local
businesses
Without whom this Memorial would not have been possible.'
Treo, with his handler Dave Heyhoe, was responsible for saving many lives and sniffed out explosive devices in Afghanistan and other locations including Northern Ireland.
He was awarded the Dickins Medal, animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross and was known as 'the world's bravest dog'. He sadly passed way on 24th October 2015. (
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The bronze statue was created by Amy Goodman S.E.A, a Sculptor and Portrait Artist based at Project Workshops in Hampshire. She loves working in different media and has developed her unique style of welded steel, bronze sculpture, and a variety of 2D work, including her distinctive equestrian ink & acrylic wash paintings. Her work is shown internationally and she regularly exhibits with the Society of Equestrian Artists where she is a full member. Source: (
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"Treo 63 DM was a hero army dog who was responsible for saving many lives in Afghanistan. The dog will be forever remembered in Congleton thanks to the gift of a statue which sits proudly near the entrance to the Community Garden in Lawton Street. Treo’s handler lives in Congleton, and the brave dog spent the final five years of his life in the town when both dog and owner came out of the army in 2010. The dog was awarded the Dickins Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross.
The statue was made possible thanks to all that gave their time and money to this project. Special thanks go to the founder and fund-raiser Steve Ashton, Treo’s equally brave handler Dave Heyhoe and the incredibly talented sculptor Amy Goodman. The unveiling of the statue took place on Thursday 26th October 2017.
A book about the life of Treo ‘All about Treo’ is available from all major book shops." Source: (
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