Beauty (4 January 1939 – 17 October 1950), a wirehaired

terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...

, was a

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

search and rescue dog A search-and-rescue dog is one trained to find missing people after a natural or man-made disaster. The dogs detect human scent and have been known to find people under water, under snow, and under collapsed buildings. Applications A dog w ...

considered to be the first

rescue dog Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party such as a person, shelter, or rescue organization. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters and rescue groups. Some or ...

, who was awarded the

Dickin Medal The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in World War II. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried o ...

for bravery in 1945. She is among a number of Dickin Medal winners who are buried in

Ilford Animal Cemetery Ilford Animal Cemetery is an animal cemetery in Ilford in London, England, United Kingdom that contains over three thousand burials. It was founded in the 1920s and is operated by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. The cemetery was clo ...

Rescue career

Beauty was born on 4 January 1939, and was owned by PDSA Superintendent Bill Barnet, who led one of the rescue squads in London for animals during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. The dog would accompany Barnet on rescue missions for company. One day in 1940, whilst out with her owner on a rescue mission, she began to dig in the rubble alongside the rescue teams. Within minutes a cat was discovered, becoming the first of 63 animals Beauty found during her war service. She is considered to be the original

. Beauty died on 17 October 1950, and was buried in the

, founded and operated by the PDSA. She is one of several winners of the Dickin Medal to be buried at the PDSA cemetery in Ilford.

Awards

For her service, Beauty was awarded the PDSA Pioneer Medal, an award normally given to people, and a silver medal inscribed "For Services Rendered" by the Deputy Mayor of

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

, and was given the

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...

. Beauty was awarded the

on 12 January 1945. The inscription "For being the pioneer dog in locating buried air-raid victims while serving with a PDSA Rescue Squad." Her medals were passed into the care of the PDSA after her death and went on display in "The Animal's War" exhibitions at the

Imperial War Museum North Imperial War Museum North (sometimes referred to as IWM North) is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of five branches of the Imperial War Museum, it explores the impact of modern conflicts on pe ...

which ran from 26 May 2007 to 6 January 2008. The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal equivalent of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

References

External links

PDSA Dickin Medal, including "Roll of Honor" PDFDo Black Samoyed Dogs Exist? - Cleverpuppies.com
{{Authority control Individual dogs 1939 animal births 1950 animal deaths Individual dogs awarded the Dickin Medal The Blitz

Rescue career

Awards

See also

References

External links