LONDON, England: Gold medals aren't just for Olympic athletes. They're also given to four-legged heroes - in this case, bomb-sniffing dogs fighting the war against terrorism.
Labradors Vinnie and Billy, and a spaniel named Jake, were rewarded for their work during the 2005 London suicide bomb attack which left 52 people dead.
The hero dogs received the PDSA Gold Medal from Princess Alexandra at a special ceremony held at St. James' Palace, where the doggie trio also showed off some of their tricks with their handlers. The PDSA Gold Medal is the animal version of the George Cross - the highest gallantry award available for civilians in the United Kingdom.
On July 7 2005, London was struck by a series of terrorist-inspired suicide bombings, which simultaneously struck London's public transport system during the morning rush hour. The attack left 52 commuters dead and 700 more victims injured.
Vinnie, Billy and Jake represented the 14 dogs and handlers who searched for secondary explosives immediately after the attack. According to the BBC, the dogs checked that access was safe for emergency services who were assisting victims left trapped or injured. The bomb-sniffing canines had to endure "appalling conditions in pitch black darkness", according to Life Style Extra.
| Some other recipients of the PDSA Gold Medal, according to Wikipedia:
Endal - placed his unconscious owner in recovery position, covered him in blanket and pushed his mobile phone against his face
Metropol Delta Monty - overpowered a man wielding a knife despite being stabbed several times
Orca - fetched help when his wheelchair-bound owner fell into a water-filled ditch
Dylan - located survivors in the Turkish earthquake in 1999
Cracker - Dylan's brother; helped locate bodies during the 1999 Turkish earthquake; only canine in UK trained to locate bodies in water
|
PDSA, originally known as The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, is the UK's largest veterinary charity, founded in 1917 by animal welfare pioneer Maria Dickin. The PDSA Gold Medal was created in 2002 to acknowledge the bravery and devotion to duty that heroic individual animals display.
Earlier this year, two equally-heroic canines were also honored by the PDSA. According to the Daily Telegraph, Sadie, a black Labrador, was awarded the Dickin Medal for saving the lives of 200 soldiers when she detected a pressure cooker packed with TNT behind a two-foot thick wall within the United Nations compound in Afghanistan,.
A posthumous award was also given to Lucky, a German Shepherd and a Royal Air Force (RAF) police tracker dog. The award was on behalf of the four tracker dogs which served in the Malayan jungle between 1949 and 1952. Lucky and his canine comrades were instrumental in capturing hundreds of communists, including Lan-Jang-San.
According to the National History Museum, canines possess approximately 25 times more olfactory receptors than humans. They can also sense odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can. Yahoo adds that canines are capable of identifying dozens of mixed scents within a 5-foot radius.
Bomb-sniffing dogs like Vinnie, Billy and Jake are trained to sit quietly and wait for a reward if they detect the presence of explosives. PDSA chairman Freddie Bircher said: "These police explosive search dogs have been the unsung heroes of that tragic day and now its their turn for the spotlight."
these dogs truly deserve the awards they recieve. they do an amazing job. without them, it would have been extremely difficult to locate these bombs. i just hope that these animals are also given enough rest and relaxation.
i just want to say that cats are heroes too in their own furry ways. :)
Truly great dogs. Hats off to them! they deserve awards, recognition and more. But, shouldn't they be rewarded with what they will actually enjoy? something that's actually for THEM? like a dog beer or something.
it's a nice story. but i sorta feel bad for the dogs that died in the line of duty.
Vinnie, Billy and Jake are amazing dogs. i hope they keep on doing their jobs well as a lot of people appreciate their efforts tremendously. Keep up the good work you three!
amazing story. i agree with billy and tanya. these dogs deserve more. perhaps they should be pampered and checked-in at a doggy hotel! they should be given awards for them to enjoy!
ya. What about those pets who want to enjoy a simple dog's life but are made into bomb sniffing dogs?
no heroic cats on the list? am a newbie here! certified feline fan!! wuhu!
it's a dog's life, but someone's got to do it.
great story! that's why i prefer dogs more than cats. you cant really train a cat to do something like that.
dogs are really man's best friend. they are very smart, trainable and most of all fun to be with. sometimes i even prefer their company than my human friends. :)
i think cats could potentially also make good bomb-sniffers. but they would probably want to take a nap first before sniffing around for some.