We were very pleased to hear that Sasha, a
British Army dog who was killed alongside her handler while on service
in Afghanistan in 2008, is to be posthumously awarded the
PDSA Dickin medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
Sasha and her handler, Lance
Corporal Kenneth Rowe, were on a routine patrol when they were ambushed
and killed by a rocket-propelled grenade attack. L/Cpl Rowe was 24,
Sahsa was four.
During her
service, Sasha – trained to sniff out and locate explosives – saved the
lives of many, many soldiers and civilians. Alongside her handler, she
was tasked with carrying out advance patrols to find safe routes for
soldiers and to sniff out weapons. Her presence was also morale-boosting
to those around her, and her dedication and determination to do her
job, even in such awful conditions, were an inspiration to many.
Sasha is
the 65th animal to be awarded the Dickin medal since its launch in 1943,
the first being White Vision, a pigeon, for contributing to the rescue
of an RAF crew in WWII.