CritterBlog

Singing for Swansea Jack

September 6, 2008 – 6:13 am by R. Gilbert

Swansea Jack was a flat-coated black retriever, born in 1930. He lived with his master, William Thomas, in the Swansea docklands close to the River Tawe. Legend has it that this dog was drawn to the cries of help from the water, and rescued as many as 27 people from drowning. He died in October 1937, after ingesting rat poison.

During his brief life, Swansea Jack was recognized for his heroic acts. He received the ‘Bravest Dog of the Year’ award from the London Star newspaper, a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London, and two bronze medals from the National Canine Defence League, now known as Dogs Trust. Today a statue stands in tribute to this brave dog on Swansea promenade near the St Helen’s Rugby Ground.

On Sunday, August 17, 2008, about 30 dogs gathered at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea to audition to record and perform a musical tribute to Swansea Jack. The special project for the Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts was conceived by Cardiff-based artist Richard Higlett.

“I had the idea of creating a dog choir and recording A Song to Jack,” said Mr. Higlett. “Dogs sing together instinctively as part of a pack, their sense of community,” he said. “In Swansea there are so many breeds with different characters and voices and all have a relationship, like us, with the place in which they live. I felt it a fitting homage to Swansea Jack whose instinct was to be a hero. It is also about fun, a celebration.

“We are going into the recording studio on 8 September and then the performance is a one off at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea on 5 October.”

There will be about a dozen dogs taking part in A Song for Jack. Grace Davies, one of the project organizers, commented on some of the dogs that auditioned. “A Bassett Hound named Edward proved an accomplished bass baritone capable of howling continuously,” she said, “And Zac the Border Collie’s sing-along style was noted by the judges.”

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See Also:
Dogs audition for musical tribute (Wales.co.uk; August 19, 2008)
Canines ’sing’ in tribute to Jack (BBC News; August 17, 2008)
Pitch-perfect pooch has The Rex Factor (Swansea.co.uk; August 18, 2008)
Swansea City: The Official Web Site