Sadie (dog)

Sadie, (born 1996), a black Labrador Retriever, is a recipient of the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. She was awarded for detecting an explosive device outside the United Nations headquarters in Kabul in November 2005, and was awarded by the Princess Alexandra on 6 February 2007. Her handler at the time of the action which resulted in the award was Lance Corporal Karen Yardley.

Military service

Trained in Leicestershire, Sadie served in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan and was part of the 102 Military Working Dog Support Unit of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) based in Sennelager, Germany. She has served for two years and has completed two tours of duty with her handler Lance Corporal Karen Yardly (female RAVC soldiers can serve on the front lines, unlike infantry).

Following her military service and the awarding of a Dickin Medal, she retired to live with her handler.

Dickin Medal

In November 2005 forces serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force were involved in two separate attacks. Sadie and her handler, L/Cpl Karen Yardley, were deployed to search for explosive devices outside the United Nations headquarters in Kabul following a suicide attack. Sadie picked up the scent of a second device through a 2 feet (0.61 m) thick concrete wall, giving disposal experts the opportunity to defuse the bomb which was a pressure cooker bomb -- a pressure cooker filled with TNT. The bomb had been covered with sandbags, in order to kill and injure rescue workers following the suicide attack. For her actions, Sadie was awarded the Dickin Medal. Awarded by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, it is considered to be the animal's Victoria Cross.