Swansea Jack was a flat-coated retriever in Wales who rescued 27 people, or so legend has it, from the River Tawe.

When he heard cries for help, he would dive into the water and pull the victim to safety. That's him to the left, pictured with his owner, William Thomas.

When he died in October 1937 after eating rat poison, townsfolk built a monument to him, located on the Promenade in Swansea near St. Helen's Rugby Ground.

Now, more than 70 years after Jack's death, an artist in Wales, Richard Higlett, plans to put together a choir of dogs from the city to perform a new song in celebration of the hero.

"A Song For Jack" will be performed at a special concert in the city. The work has been commissioned by Locws International, a visual arts charity that works with artists to create temporary arts projects for public spaces.

"Dogs sing together instinctively as part of a pack, their sense of community," said Higlett. "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."

Auditions for the choir are underway.

Swansea Jack in 1936 received the "Bravest Dog of the Year" award from the London Star newspaper. He received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and he is still the only dog to have been awarded two bronze medals by the National Canine Defence League (now known as Dogs Trust). In 2000,he was named 'Dog of the Century' by NewFound Friends of Bristol who train domestic dogs in aquatic rescue techniques.