Medal awarded to heroic dog sold at auction
A medal bestowed upon a one-time stray named Rip who helped find trapped survivors during the Blitz in London has been sold at auction.
The medal fetched a high bid of $35,700, made on behalf of an anonymous bidder.
Rip, a mutt, was awarded the Dickin Medal after helping find more than 100 victims of air raids.
The medal is named for Maria Dickin, the founder of the veterinary charity PDSA, and has been given since 1943 to animals that had shown “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty”.
Rip was left homeless after the Luftwaffe attacked East London, in 1940, and roamed the streets until an air raid warden named King befriended him.
Without any training, he became the service’s first sniffer dog, showing an instant talent for finding victims covered by rubble.
“Despite the dangers, he worked courageously through the crashing and explosions of the bombing raids, braved fire and smoke with apparent disdain, and was completely unfazed by the air-raid sirens that used to strike fear into the hearts of the population,” the Daily Mail reports.
It was partly due to Rip’s performance, that authorities later decided to train dogs formally to trace casualties.
Posted by jwoestendiek April 26th, 2009 under Muttsblog.
Tags: air raids, auction, dog, hero, london, maria dickin, medal, pdsa, rescue, rip, search, sniffer, sold, survivors, world war II
