Retired RAF Police Military Working Dog ‘Hertz’ received the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal – the Victoria Cross for animals – for his life-saving devotion to duty, protecting British and Allied troops while serving in Afghanistan, in 2013.
Deployed on Operation HERRICK, Hertz was trained to detect electronic communications equipment such as mobile phones, voice recorders, SIM cards and GPS devices. He was the first dog in British military history trained to detect these devices.
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The PDSA Dickin Medal is the highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict. It is recognised worldwide as the animals’ Victoria Cross. Instituted in 1943 by PDSA’s founder Maria Dickin CBE, it acknowledges outstanding acts of bravery or devotion to duty displayed by animals serving with the Armed Forces or Civil Defence units in any theatre of war throughout the world.
"For a Military Working Dog that I have trained and handled to be recognised in this way is fantastic. At no point during the training process or our operational deployment did I expect or even suspect that Hertz would be acknowledged on the global stage by the PDSA. I will forever look back at what we achieved with a massive smile on my face."
Warrant Officer Tanner
RAF Police
Throughout his time in Afghanistan, Hertz was responsible for finding more than 100 items of contraband, including drugs and Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs), all of which posed a significant threat to the lives of servicemen, women and civilians.
"As a team I would put Hertz into an area which I believed prohibited items were hidden, and without fail he would find them. Hertz has an incredible drive to search, paired with a finely tuned nose, making him one of the most naturally gifted dogs I have had the privilege to work with."
Corporal Dack
RAF Police
Hertz is the 74th recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal, joining a prestigious line-up of brave dogs, pigeons, horses and a cat.
