Past Dickin Medal Recipients
APPOLLO
Appollo, a NYPD Search and Rescue dog represented over 300 of his canine colleagues when he received the PDSA Dickin Medal in recognition of their devotion to duty on and after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It was the first PDSA Dickin Medal to be awarded outside the activities of World War II and its aftermath.
The Search and Rescue dogs worked to the point of exhaustion to find life in the ruins of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
RIP
Scruffy stray terrier Rip was adopted by Mr E. King, an Air Raid Precaution Warden (ARP) on duty in Poplar, East London, during the Blitz. Rip soon became the team’s mascot and unofficial search dog.
He was not trained for the work but began digging instinctively, pausing to let Mr King know when he had located a victim in the rubble. Many people owed their lives to Rip and his determination.
OLGA, UPSTART AND REGAL Just three horses, all serving Metropolitan Police Horses during WWII, have received the PDSA Dickin Medal for remaining on duty despite being surrounded by fire, explosions and flying debris.
Olga was on duty in Tooting when a flying bomb destroyed four houses. She initially bolted, but she soon returned to the scene of the incident, remaining on duty with her rider, controlling traffic and assisting with the rescue effort.
G.I. JOE
In October 1943 the Italian village of Calvi Vecchia was in German control. British troops were attempting to take the town, and in an attempt to loosen the Germans’ grip, Allied Forces were about to be deployed to bombard the village.
Less than one hour before the planned Allied attack, the German resistance fell and Allied troops took control of Calvi Vecchia. With the lives of at least 100 soldiers at risk, the only means of communication available rested on the wings of an American messenger pigeon named G.I. Joe. Facing a race against time to relay the news, G.I. Joe flew a record-breaking 20 miles in as many minutes and arrived just in time to stop the air assault and save the Allied troops from being bombed by their own planes.