Honour for Sasha

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.

You can read more about Sasha and L/Cpl Rowe on the BBC News website.