Stories of heroes

World War Two

Jet

Jet was a fully black German shepherd who was originally trained as an “anti-sabotage” dog. Essentially, he sniffed for bombs, preventing countless deaths before they occurred.

He eventually began search-and-rescue work for victims of the London Blitz air raids during World War II. Over the course of 11 hours, Jet’s team of fellow dogs rescued over 100 people in a single day when a hotel collapsed. Jet was personally responsible for 50 of those rescues. The human crew thought they had gotten everyone out, but Jet barked relentlessly to let them know that they had forgotten someone. It turns out that he was right. A woman who would have been left behind was rescued and survived, all because of Jet.

He was awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945, but his work wasn’t over yet. In 1947, he saved even more people after a building exploded in Liverpool. He was given the RSPCA Medallion of Valor. When he died, his body was buried in the Calderstones Park in Liverpool. Today, a memorial with an etching of his face still stands in his honor in the park as well as a small exhibit in his honor at the Liverpool Museum.

modern Day Conflict

Sarbi

Sarbi became only the 2nd Australian animal to receive the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ purple cross, Australia's most prestigious animal bravery award.

Sarbi was deployed as a bomb-detecting dog in September 2008 when her unit was hit by Taliban militants. Nine soldiers, including Sarbi’s handler, were wounded in the attack. Sarbi was separated from the unit and survived a full year inside the Taliban heartland before being found at a remote patrol base in northeastern Uruzgan and reunited with her handler.

Sarbi went on to return back to Australia, where she died peacefully at home in 2015. He handler, army Warrant Officer said “Sarbi will live on in everyone’s hearts and minds and I hope that her story of perseverance and determination will inspire you to do whatever you can to achieve your goals.”

Modern Day Conflict

Adak

Adak was an explosive detection dog who worked for the United States military and state department. His first assignment was in Iraq in 2006. While checking Baghdad Central Station for explosives before the arrival of a dignitary, Adak alerted his handlers to a suspicious vehicle and the event was canceled.

In 2008 he was working in Afghanistan when a terrorist attack left some of the guests at a Kabul hotel trapped in their rooms. While the attack was still underway, Adak began leading an American military team from room to room. They evacuated more than 20 people from the hotel, and supported the search and rescue of people injured in the blast.

Adak took part in numerous other missions in the Middle East, as part of the teams bringing security to the region, and the support that he provided cannot be overstated. After a long career of helping troops, Adak sadly passed away in 2018, of natural causes.

Modern Day Conflict

Lucca

Lucca is a retired Marine Corps military working dog, The half-German shepherd, half-Belgian Malinois already had found nearly 40 explosive devices while in service when another find came while off-leash in front of Marines in Afghanistan.

But a second, undetected blast went off. Lucca's handler at the time, Cpl. Juan Rodriguez, ran past the known IED, applied a tourniquet, and carried Lucca back to the safety of the nearby tree line, according to a U.S. Central Command news release. This brave action by Cpl Rodriguez demonstrates the bond between service dog and handler, and saved Lucca's life.

Lucca served six years on active duty before retiring to a couch in California with Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Willingham. In 2016, Lucca flew to London to receive the Dickin Medal, recognized as the highest valor award for animals and seen by some as the canine equivalent to Great Britain's Victoria Cross

Second World War

Bamse

He became the heroic mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during the Second World War, and became a symbol of Norwegian freedom during the war.

Bought by Captain Erling Hafto, the master of the Norwegian ship Thorodd, he was taken to sea from an early age.

At the onset of the Second World War, Thorodd was drafted into the Royal Norwegian Navy as a coastal patrol vessel, based in Hammerfest, and Bamse was enrolled as an official crew member on 9 February 1940. Bamse lifted the morale of the ship's crew, and became well known to the local civilian population. In battle, he would stand on the front gun tower of the boat, and the crew made him a special metal helmet. His acts of heroism included saving a young lieutenant commander who had been attacked by a man wielding a knife by pushing the assailant into the sea, and dragging back to shore a sailor who had fallen overboard.

However, his duties during the war also included roles more logistical in nature. One of Bamse's tasks in Scotland was to round up his crew and escort them back to the ship in time for duty or curfew. To do this, he travelled on the local buses unaccompanied, and the crew bought him a bus pass which was attached to his collar. Bamse would wander down to the bus stop at Broughty Ferry Road and take the bus down to Dundee. He would get off at the bus stop near his crew's favourite watering hole - the Bodega Bar - and go in to fetch them. If he could not locate his friends he would take the bus back to base.

Bamse died on the dockside at Montrose on 22 July 1944. He was buried with full military honours. Hundreds of Norwegian sailors, Allied servicemen, schoolchildren and townsfolk from Montrose and Dundee attended his funeral. His grave site in the sand dunes has been looked after by local people. The Royal Norwegian Navy holds a commemorative ceremony every ten years.

Bamse was posthumously awarded Norges Hundeorden on 30 September 1984 for his war service. In 2006, he was also awarded the PDSA Gold Medal (sometimes known as the "animals' George Cross") for gallantry and devotion to duty, the only World War II animal to have received this honour.On 17 October 2006, HRH The Duke of York unveiled a larger than life sized bronze statue of Bamse, made by Scottish sculptor Alan Herriot, on Montrose's Wharf Street.

Modern Day Conflict

Cooper

This is the story of Cooper, and his 20 year-old handler and partner Corporal Kory Duane Wiens. Corporal Wiens followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a military canine handler during the Korean War.

Cooper and Kory worked together to find firearms, ammunition and explosives. Sadly, while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq on July 6th, 2007, Wiens and Cooper were killed by an improvised explosive device. They were buried together in Wiens’ hometown of Dallas. In 2011, an infantry post in Colorado dedicated a dog park in their honour.

Vietnam War

Nemo

We remember Nemo, a German Shepherd who supported American troops in the Vietnam conflict. In 1966 Nemo and his handler, Airman Second Class Robert Thorneburg, both survived gunshot wounds while fighting in Vietnam.

A bullet hit Nemo in the muzzle, but the brave dog stayed strong and charged 4 gunmen, giving Thorneburg, who was shot in the shoulder, enough time to call for reinforcements. Nemo was sent back to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, where he had been trained, to recover under the care of the base’s veterinarians. Nemo lived out the rest of his life in Lackland, in his own special kennel, and served as an inspiration for countless handlers-in-training.

It's vital that we support these heroes when they return home, and we're proud to say that President Clinton signed legislation into law in 2000, ensuring the dogs now serving in the U.S. military have a home when they have finished their battlefield jobs.

World War Two

Gunner

At Australia’s Darwin Air Force Base during World War II, soldiers found a stray puppy. He was only six months old and had already managed to break one of his legs.

As the men nursed him back to health, they decided to name him Gunner. After living on the base as a pet for some time, Gunner began to recognize the sounds of Japanese planes.Gunner quickly learned to associate the sound of Japanese planes with oncoming danger. With his sensitive dog ears, he could hear the planes coming 20–60 minutes before they arrived. He began barking a warning for these attacks, which gave the men plenty of time to prepare to defend themselves.Gunner’s hearing was so accurate that Percy Leslie Westcott, the leading aircraftman, was given permission to sound the official air raid siren as soon as Gunner began barking of oncoming danger.

Surely, the men who saved this puppy’s life never imagined that he, in turn, would save theirs. Gunner, we thank you for your service, and remember the vital role that you - and other dogs - have played in saving lives with our armed services, all around the world.

World War Two

Gander

Gander was a Newfoundland dog who was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal - often referred to as 'The Victoria Cross for Animals' - in 2000 for his deeds in World War II. It was the the first such award in over 50 years.

Gander, initially a family pet named Pal was given to The Royal Rifles of Canada, a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport. The soldiers quickly renamed him Gander and "promoted" him to sergeant. When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941, Gander went along. The Battle of Hong Kong began on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gander helped fight the Japanese invaders on three occasions. The last time, Gander picked up a thrown Japanese hand grenade and rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosion, but saving the lives of several wounded Canadian soldiers.

After efforts by the Canadian War Museum, the Hong Kong Veterans Association, and the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Gander the Dickin Medal on October 27, 2000, the first such award since 1949. The citation reads: "For saving the lives of Canadian infantrymen during the Battle of Lye Mun on Hong Kong Island in December 1941. On three documented occasions, Gander, the Newfoundland mascot of The Royal Rifles of Canada, engaged the enemy as his regiment joined The Winnipeg Grenadiers, members of Battalion Headquarters "C" Force and other Commonwealth troops in their courageous defence of the island. Twice Gander's attacks halted the enemy's advance and protected groups of wounded soldiers. In a final act of bravery, the war dog was killed in action gathering a grenade. Without Gander's intervention, many more lives would have been lost in the assault." Gander, we remember you. And thank you for your service.

Modern Day Conflict

Cairo

In 2011, US Special Forces soldiers were in Iraq on a top secret mission, using military dogs to sniff out bombs and potential enemy soldiers hiding underground. Cairo, a Navy SEAL–trained Belgian Malinois, was selected from a number of other qualified candidates for this very important mission.

Working tirelessly night after night, Cairo needed to sniff the perimeter of a compound that was surrounded with barbed-wire fences. It was most likely booby-trapped or armed with guards, and Cairo was trained to attack enemies on command. Navy SEAL dogs are equipped with vests, which include a parachute and night vision goggles. Fully equipped with the newest technology, Cairo helped the soldiers succeed in an intense mission that made him famous around the world: finding Osama bin Laden. Now retired, Cairo has been adopted by a family who has a beagle as his playmate. Cairo helps put groceries away, carrying bags from the car to the house. Today, we remember Buster, a springer spaniel who served with British forces as an arms and explosive search dog,

Widely believed to have completed more tours than any other military dog, he gave advanced warning of bombers and hidden IEDs (improvised explosive devices). He also took a leave in cheering up the troops, says his handler. 'I'd find some of the soldiers on the cot beds with him, just chatting away. They felt they could confide in him and it wouldn't be going anywhere else." He also made friends with local Afghans when he went out on patrol. "We soon had a long train of children in tow - like a canine Pied Piper, Buster drew in his crowd and entertained them," says Flt Sgt Barrow. His work in sniffing out bombs and booby traps before they could kill British service personnel means that he saved a huge amount of lives in Bosnia, Afghanistan and other war-zones around the world. To reward his years of hard work, Buster was given the honour of becoming the official lifetime mascot of the RAF Police.

World War Two

Caeser

We share the story of Caesar the German shepherd, from World War Two. Caesar worked with Glazer family in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, carrying packages of groceries up four flights of stairs in his mouth. When the boys of the Glazer family were getting drafted into the war, there was a call for dogs to join the army, they knew that Caesar’s skills were needed.

Caesar was a messenger dog at first, carrying messages between camps. He then graduated to working on the battlefield. Rufus Mayo, his human handler, was asleep beside Caesar in his foxhole on an island in the Pacific. When Caesar heard the approaching enemy Japanese soldiers and instinctively jumped out to protect Rufus.Waking up from Caesar’s movements, Rufus noticed that the enemy had thrown a grenade at his feet. He had just enough time to react by throwing the grenade back before it exploded.

Caesar was already on the move when he was shot three times. After the conflict had ended, Rufus was able to find him and take him to a surgeon. Three weeks later, Caesar recovered and returned to active duty. A great example of how war dogs were not necessarily born and bred for duty, but instead were family dogs, called into action. Today, we remember Cooper, along with his 20 year-old handler and partner Corporal Kory Duane Wiens. Corporal Wiens followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a military canine handler during the Korean War. Cooper and Kory worked together to find firearms, ammunition and explosives. Sadly, while on patrol in Muhammad Sath, Iraq on July 6th, 2007, Wiens and Cooper were killed by an improvised explosive device. They were buried together in Wiens’ hometown of Dallas. We remember Cooper for his service, and understand the connection between dog and handler.

Modern Conflict

Treo

We remember Treo,a black Labrador Retriever-English Springer Spaniel crossbreed and a retired Arms and Explosives Search dog with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

In 2008 Treo and his handler Sergeant Heyhoe were deployed to Afghanistan, becoming one of 25 dogs supporting British troops there On 1st August 2008 Treo found an IED, called a daisy chain because of the way multiple explosive devices are wired together, concealed by Taliban insurgents along the side of a road. In September 2008 he found a second daisy chain, both times saving the lives of British soldiers as well as civilians. His success at detecting IEDs did not go unnoticed by the insurgents, and intercepted radio traffic included conversations about "the black dog."

He retired in August 2009 and was awarded the Dickin Medal - often referred to as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross - in February 2010 at the Imperial War Museum in London. After seven years in the military, Treo retired to live at home with Heyhoe. His death was announced in October 2015 and was buried with his Dickin Medal, and Union Jack in recognition of his service to the country.