Dog awarded animals’ Victoria Cross for RAF service in Afghanistan | Royal Air Force

A retired military operating pet dog named Hertz has been awarded a medal recognized as the animals’ Victoria Cross for his provider in Afghanistan.

The German shorthaired pointer is the first pet in British navy history to detect digital communications products these kinds of as cell phones, voice recorders, sim cards and GPS products.

Hertz, who serviced with the Royal Air Force police, has been awarded the PDSA Dickin medal, the 74th recipient of the honour because it was to start with awarded in 1943.

During his time in Afghanistan, Hertz was dependable for obtaining much more than 100 merchandise of contraband, together with medication and particular electronic units (PEDs), described as a substantial danger to the lives of service staff and civilians.

Born in Croatia, Hertz joined the RAF as a 1-yr-aged after showing skills in drug detection. He was then selected as the 1st-ever navy operating doggy to be experienced to detect the presence of digital equipment (PEDs).

After months of powerful professional coaching, assisted by the Prison Service, which uses sniffer pet dogs to detect electronics contraband, Hertz and his handler, WO Jonathan Tanner, were being deployed to Afghanistan.

Tanner and Hertz worked jointly day by day in armed service and civilian compounds in the then British armed service foundation Camp Bastion. On his initial look for, Hertz uncovered medication and digital units, with the latter prosperous in supporting intelligence applications.

Hertz was deployed in the course of Helmand province and to the Afghan funds of Kabul. In the course of the 13 months of his tour, there was not a solitary rocket attack on Camp Bastion.

The PDSA claimed: “His get the job done was important to make sure the protection of all the personnel doing work there, equally locals and armed service. It is challenging to really estimate how many lives he saved by his actions.”

The first recipient of the Dickin medal was a pigeon, White Eyesight. She delivered a message that led to the rescue of a ditched aircrew in October 1943, traveling nine hours in undesirable visibility and weighty weather with powerful headwinds.

Other recipients consist of Simon the cat in 1949 for “gallantry underneath fire” and for the disposal of lots of rats on board HMS Amethyst, and Olga the horse, who obtained the medal in 1947 for controlling website traffic and aiding rescue functions right after a traveling bomb explosion in Tooting, south London.