Police Dogs who supported emergency services during the London terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Borough Market are being honored for their heroic actions by leading vet charity PDSA.
Seven Police Dogs from the Metropolitan Police (Met) and British Transport Police (BTP) will be awarded the PDSA Order of Merit – the animal equivalent of the OBE – at a ceremony later this year. The dogs have been chosen to represent the 19* Police Dogs who served during the 2017 attacks.
Met Police Dogs Kai (Explosive Detection Dog), Delta (Firearms Support Dog) and Dave (Explosive Detection Dog) will receive PDSA Medals, alongside BTP Dogs Bruno (Explosive Search Dog) Marci (Firearms Support Dog), Jax (General Purpose Dog) and Bobby (Explosive Search Dog)**.
This week, the dogs and their handlers were joined by PDSA vet, Rosamund Ford, at the site of one attack, to announce the forthcoming award.
Ms Ford said: “The actions of these incredible dogs – and their handlers – was vital in keeping the public safe and allowing the emergency services to carry out their work. They performed their duties in a highly-charged and unfamiliar environment that no amount of training can fully prepare them for. PDSA is honoured to recognise their devotion to duty and service to society.”
Picture by Ben Stevens
The Met and BTP Dogs will take the total number of PDSA Order of Merit recipients to 27, including 17 dogs and 10 horses. The PDSA Medal, which was instituted in 2014, recognises animals who display outstanding devotion to their owner or wider society, above and beyond normal companionship – and represents an exceptional example of the special relationship between animals and humans.
