bestbefore Forum Posts (4,701)
Get a life and stop reading her posts or replying to them if they aggrievate you so much. Forum rules 2 and 4.
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RE: SEALS Dog In Mourning....
Can a dog die of a broken heart?I did post a thread about this incident and thought I would reprint as it is a classic example of the extent of devotion from animal to owner
Their last journey: Tragic bomb dog Theo in line for an 'animal VC' as he and his master's body are flown home together
By Ian Drury
Last updated at 1:28 AM on 5th March 2011
Pair uncovered 14 home-made bombs and hoards of weapons in just five months – a record for a dog and his handler
In life, they were inseparable. And in death, this brave man and his best friend are staying by each other’s side.
A record-breaking Army sniffer dog and his devoted handler will make their final journey home together next week.
Theo, a springer spaniel cross, suffered a fatal seizure shortly after his master, Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, was shot dead by the Taliban on Tuesday.
Tragic loss: Liam Tasker was on patrol with his dog Theo at the time of the attack in Nahr-e-Saraj, Afghanistan. Theo died shortly after his handler was gunned down in a firefight
The 22-month-old dog was said to have died of a broken heart after the Arms and Explosives Search soldier was killed.
The pair had uncovered 14 home-made bombs and hoards of weapons in just five months on the frontline – more than any other dog and handler in the conflict. And when L/Cpl Tasker, 26, is repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire next week, Theo’s ashes will be alongside his body in a casket on the RAF Hercules carrying the coffin.
A campaign has also been launched to award Theo a Dickin Medal – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
The pair, hailed for saving the lives of countless British soldiers in Afghanistan, are expected to be flown back to Britain on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said.
The casket containing Theo’s ashes will be handed over to their unit, the 104 Military Working Dog Squadron. It may then be given to L/Cpl Tasker’s grieving family.
In keeping with the tradition that has evolved, dog and handler will be driven through the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett, where hundreds come to pay their respects
Team effort: Lance Corporal Tasker was a member of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. He and Theo will be repatriated to Britain together, next week
L/Cpl Tasker, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, was the 358th member of the British armed forces to die since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001. He was killed taking part in a mission in the Nahr-e-Saraj district in Helmand.
Only last month, the soldier, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, described his joy at the close bond he had developed with the spaniel, saying: ‘He has a great character and never tires.’
The pair deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Theatre Military Working Dogs Support Unit based at Camp Bastion. Theo was the ‘front man’ of a patrol, sniffing out IEDs, weapons and bomb-making equipment hidden by the Taliban.
Honoured, the animal heroes
Lieutenant Colonel David Thorpe, commanding officer 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, said L/Cpl Tasker and Theo ‘saved countless lives’.
Now a campaign has been started to honour Theo for his work. The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals charity said ‘dozens’ of people had put his name forward for a Dickin Medal, the highest accolade a military animal can expect.
A PDSA spokesman said at least one person has indicated their wish to formally nominate Theo for the posthumous award. Elaine Pendlebury, a senior veterinary surgeon at PDSA, said: ‘The Dickin Medal, recognised as the animals’ Victoria Cross, is awarded to animals displaying conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units.’