This Newfoundland dog in uniform was painted for the ‘Go Compare Pet Insurance Honourable Pets’ ad campaign. Gander, a Newfoundland dog worked alongside the Canadian army regiment, the Royal Rifles of Canada. In 1941, Gander and The Royal Rifles found themselves in Hong Kong fighting the enemy in that battle of Lye Mun on Hong kong Island. Heroically, to save the lives of others Gander picked up a Japanese hand grenade that had been thrown towards Canadian troops and ran towards the enemy with it in his mouth. Gander tragically died in the explosion, but his immense act of bravery would have saved the lives of nearby soldiers.

He was awarded the Dickin medal for bravery in 2000 and has a statue of him in his honour at Gander Heritage Memorial park.

All of our pet portraits including Gander, this lovely Newfoundland dog in uniform are hand-painted using premium Winsor & Newton oils onto a high quality duck cotton canvas. Please allow between 4 – 6 weeks from commissioning your dog paintings to receiving it. If you are ordering a dog portrait as a gift for a special occasion and are on a tight time frame we can send you or your recipient personalised gift vouchers.

What do you need to do?

Simply email: hello@dogartists.co.uk a photo of your dogs with an idea of size and we’ll get back to you with a quote and some ideas. If you have seen a particular style of painting that you love from the portfolio please let us know and we’ll get the same dog artist to paint your dog’s portrait.