In 1906, a memorial drinking fountain was erected in Latchmere recreation ground, Battersea. The inscription read “Done to Death”, starkly describing what had happened to the dog at the hands of the vivisectors. It also commemorated “the 232 dogs vivisected at the same place during the year 1902”.The erection of the memorial sparked what became known as the “Brown Dog riots”, with large demonstrations taking place, and UCL medical students repeatedly attempting to vandalise the statue. Clashes between medical students and local residents, anti-vivisectionists and others, became so frequent that the statue had to be given 24-hour police protection. Because of the continued disturbances and increasing costs to protect the memorial, Battersea council secretly removed in the early hours of 10 March 1910 and later destroyed it. An injunction to halt the removal had come too late.
Loss of the memorial led to widespread public condemnation, culminating in a 3,000-strong march from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square on 19 March 1910.The “new” memorial was commissioned by the National Anti-Vivisection Society and the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, with funding support from public subscription. Alongside the new inscription, that from the original memorial is replicated on the plinth. The statue is not only a commemoration of the original memorial and of past cruelties, but also a poignant reminder that animal testing, on dogs and other species, continues unabated to this day.Apply house rules consistently. When your pet knows what to expect from his behavior, he will be much more inclined to do more of what you approve of and less of what you don’t.
You can see more art from Nicola Hicks on Art UK and find out more about public sculpture here.