Hero sniffer dog given highest honour for saving British soldiers in Afghanistan

RAF dog 'Hertz' awarded the PDSA Dickin medal for his work detecting drugs and electronics

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  Retired RAF Police sniffer dog, Hertz, poses for a photo with his PDSA Dickin Medal for valour, the highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict. PA

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  Former handler and trainer RAF Police Warrant Officer Jonathan Tanner with Hertz. Hertz received the award after for finding more than 100 items of contraband, all of which posed a significant threat to the lives of servicemen, women and civilians in Afghanistan. PA

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  The PDSA Dickin Medal was introduced by Maria Dickin in 1943. Dicken is seen here presenting homing pigeon Winkie with the Dicken Medal in 1944. Winkie delivered a message that contributed to the rescue of a ditched aircrew in 1942.

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  Actress Nancy Price giving a speech to the assembled crowd, with a pigeon who received the Dickin Medal, at the dedication of a memorial to the birds who died in active service during the war, London, 1946. Getty Images

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  A pigeon named Mercury is awarded the Dickin Medal in 1946. Mercury completed a 480 mile flight from Northern Denmark. Getty Images

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  Judy the English Pointer receives a Dickin Medal in 1946. Formerly a ship's dog on board HMS Gnat and HMS Grasshopper, Judy helped save the lives of servicemen after the Grasshopper was sunk. She then spent three and a half years in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, narrowly escaping death many times. Getty Images

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  A Newfoundland named Gander was another Dickin Medal winner. Gander received the medal for his gallant exploits at the battle of Lye Mun, Hong Kong in 1941. The brave Newfoundland was killed by a grenade which it had chased, picked up and carried back towards the Japanese, saving the lives of dozens of Canadian soldiers. Getty Images

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  Simon, the ships cat of HMS Amethyst and winner of the Dickin Medal in 1949, received the award for catching rats and protecting food supplies during the time the ship was at war. Getty Images

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  Buster helped save the lives of troops and civilians in southern Iraq when he located a hidden cache of arms, explosives and bomb-making equipment. He was awarded the medal in 2003. Getty Images

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  Mali, a Belgian Malinois, wearing his Dickin Medal in 2017. Mali took part in an 8 hour assault on Taliban positions in Afghanistan, despite being injured by grenade explosions three times. Getty Images

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  A French special forces dog called Leuk was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal in 2020, after he saved lives by cornering insurgents during an anti-terrorist operation in Mali. AFP

A former military dog named Hertz has been awarded a medal known as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross for his service in Afghanistan.

The German short-haired pointer is the first — and so far only — dog in British military history to detect electronic communications equipment such as mobile phones, voice recorders, sim cards and GPS devices.

Now retired, Hertz was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal at a ceremony in London on Tuesday — the 74th animal to receive the honour.

Warrant Officer Jonathan Tanner, Hertz’s trainer and handler in Afghanistan, described the dog a “one-off.”

“He’s very much a unique animal,” said WO Tanner worked with Hertz in the former British military base Camp Bastion and at locations throughout Helmand and Kabul over a period of 13 months.

“It was a capability that in the British military had never been tried before,” he said.

After two months' training to sniff out such devices, Hertz went on to find more than 100 items of contraband and is though to have saved countless lives.

Born in Croatia, Hertz joined the RAF as a one-year-old puppy and was chosen for the special assignment after demonstrating exceptional skill in drug detecting.

WO Tanner said Hertz was “by far the best” dog he’s worked with, and that the pair became “best friends”.

“There were many times that one of us would be having a bad day not, enjoying ourselves as much as we possibly could, and I would take him away, put him back in his kennel at night and just sit there and have a chat like you do with your mates at the end of the day,” he said.

“He wasn’t very good at giving advice, but he certainly listened and I can tell you that he never gave me bad advice.”

PDSA Director General Jan McLoughlin said: “Hertz is a truly remarkable animal hero and a trailblazer in his field.

“His exceptional skills undoubtedly protected troops from the ever-evolving advances in digital intelligence.

“His actions changed the course of countless missions, saving the lives of military personnel and civilians.

“For this bravery and devotion to duty, we are honoured to welcome him as the latest recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal.”

Former recipients of the Dickin medal include: a pigeon, White Vision, which flew for nine hours in bad visibility and heavy weather to deliver a message that led to the rescue of a ditched aircrew in October 1943; Simon the cat, for the disposal of many rats on board HMS Amethyst in 1949, and the horse Olga, awarded the medal in 1947 for controlling traffic and assisting rescue operations after a flying bomb explosion in Tooting, south London.