Ep.27: Pawsitive Vibes: The National Service Animals Monument (w/Susan Bahary)

Donate to help build the National Service Animals Monument: https://nationalserviceanimalsmemorial.org/

In this special episode of the America 250 series, Dr. Yasmine S. Ali speaks with Susan Bahary, an award-winning, internationally acclaimed sculptor and chair of the National Service Animals Monument project. Susan takes us inside the Congressionally authorized effort to build the monument in the nation’s capital and explains the expansive story it will tell—from the horses, mules, dogs, and carrier pigeons of America’s wars to today’s law-enforcement, assistance, therapy, medical-detection, and security animals.

They also explore Susan’s unconventional path to a career in sculpture, her lifelong bond with animals, and the creation of landmark works including Always Faithful, the first official war dog memorial in the United States, and The Pledge, depicting a female soldier and her military working dog. Susan also shares the memorable Tennessee story behind the casting of Always Faithful at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine—including an unexpected evening at the Grand Ole Opry.

At its heart, this is a conversation about gratitude, creative purpose, the human-animal bond, and the power of public art to educate, inspire, heal, and bring people together.

 

Susan Bahary is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed sculptor and Chair of the National Service Animals Monument project. She is one of the foremost artists specializing in honoring the animal-human bond. She has done more of this sort of monument work than perhaps anyone else in the world. She’s a leader in raising awareness for the contributions and sacrifices of service animals and their handlers.

 

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Links & Resources:

Support Positive Vibes: www.buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

“America the Beautiful,” sung by Dr. Yasmine Ali: https://youtu.be/YA4mJTbHSDo?si=_S7jsNKwnT-E_08i

National Service Animals Monument: https://nationalserviceanimalsmemorial.org/

Explore Susan Bahary’s sculptures and monuments: https://baharystudios.com/art/

Related episode--Dr. Ali's interview with David Frei, co-host of the National Dog Show, with a discussion about therapy and service dogs: https://www.positivevibessunnyside.com/e/david-frei-therapy-dogs/

Visit Dr. Ali’s online bookstore and get an autographed copy of Walk through Fire or The View from the Cliffs: https://www.LastSkyWriting.com.

About Yasmine S. Ali, MD: Known as "The Positive Cardiologist," Dr. Ali is an internationally recognized preventive cardiologist and bestselling author of both nonfiction and fiction. She pioneered the concept of Positive Cardiology and the importance of optimism for health and longevity. She is an award-winning speaker and is the creator of the ORCHID Model for Positive Living™. Her work unites science, storytelling, and optimism. She brings three decades of medical experience to her teaching and writing, along with a lifelong devotion to creativity and the pursuit of optimum health.

Yasmine S. Ali is also the bestselling author of Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America and The View from the Cliffs: A Novel. Find her books at https://LastSkyWriting.com

 

The material contained in this podcast is for informational/educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice.