The Loaded Dog Statue

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A statue of "The loaded dog" stands outside Whyalla Veterinary Clinic at 97 Mcdouall Stuart Ave, Whyalla Stuart. The sculpture was created by Andy Scott of Glasgow in 2007 and unveiled by Mark Parnell of the 'Greens' in 2008. I was somewhat surprised to find the dog outside a vet surgery instead of in a memorial park, but it sure would be handy if he got hurt during his adventure!



The loaded dog is a short story by Henry Lawson. It appears in anthologies of his work, and some Australian anthologies, it is also available to read online here . In the story, three mates with good old Aussie names like, Dave, Jim and Andy, are doing some mining, hoping to make it rich with a gold discovery. They also like good Aussie males, love their fishing. Dave then gets the great idea that they can blow some fish up with an explosive cartridge.

They have a dog, who is a retriever – you know what is coming next don't you? Retrievers are trained to retrieve things. So the men lay the explosive and what does the dog do? He plays fetch! And what does a dog do after he fetches? He tries to give the object to his master… The moral of the story is "Please don't play with explosives around pets".



If you are visiting Whyalla, the loaded dog is just around the corner from a major shopping centre with supermarkets, fast food stores and specialty shops for all your emergency travel needs. It is also almost opposite the Whyalla Salvos Store if you enjoy a little op-shopping.

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