Posthumous award for sniffer dog
AN army dog who died just hours after his Scottish handlerwas killed in a firefight in Afghanistan has been awarded the animal version of the Victoria Cross at a ceremony in London.
Theo, a bomb-detecting sniffer dog, was posthumously given the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) Dickin Medal in recognition of his “gallantry and devotion to duty” while serving with Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, from Tayport, Fife.
The Springer spaniel died of a seizure after L/Cpl Tasker was killed by enemy fire while on a mission in support of the Irish Guards in Helmand Province last year. The soldier’s family believe the spaniel died of a broken heart.
The pair, whowere said tohave been inseparable, detected a record 14 Taliban roadside bombs andweapons caches in fivemonths, andare believed to have saved countless lives. Their role was to uncover hidden weapons and improvised explosive devices, and to help find bomb-making equipment.
Theo made the most confirmed operational finds by any arms and explosives search dog in Afghanistan to date. On one occasion he is said to have discovered an underground tunnel leading to a room in which insurgentswere suspected of making bombs and hiding from coalition forces.
The dog was awarded his medal at Wellington Barracks, London. The award is said to be the highest accolade any animal can receive while serving in military conflict. It was establishedbytheveterinarycharity’s founder, Maria Dickin, in 1943.
L/Cpl Tasker was posthumously honoured with anMBEin September last year. He served in The Royal Army Veterinary Corps, 1st Military Working Dog Regiment. His mother, Jane Duffy, described Theo as her son’s “best mate” and said they were together “24/7” in Afghanistan.
Colonel Neil Smith, director of the Army Veterinary and Remount Service, said: “TheRoyalArmyVeterinary Corps ishonouredPDSAhas awarded its Dickin Medal to Theo. This award recognises not onlyaveryspecialdog, but also the contribution all our dog teams make in detecting improvised explosive devices and weapons caches.”