British military dog honoured for services in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): A retired British military dog has been honoured with the animals’ Victoria Cross in recognition of his service in Afghanistan.

The award winner was identified as Hertz, — the first dog in British military history to detect electronic communications equipment.

The Guardian reported on Tuesday the German shorthaired pointer successfully detected mobile phones, voice recorders, sim cards and GPS devices.

Having serviced with the Royal Air Force police in Helmand province, Hertz has become the 74th recipient of the PDSA Dickin medal, the newspaper reported.

In Afghanistan, the fog found over 100 illegal items, including narcotics and personal electronic devices (PEDs),which threatened the lives of service personnel and civilians.

After proving his skills in drug detection, Hertz was inducted into the RAF, aged 1. Later on, he won the distinction of becoming the first-ever military dog to be trained to spot the presence of electronic devices (PEDs).

He worked daily in military and civilian compounds at Camp Bastion in Helmand. Hertz discovered drugs and electronic devices.

He was deployed throughout the restive southern province and to Kabul. During his 13-month tour, there was not a single rocket strike on Camp Bastion.

PAN Monitor/mud