Peter (1941–1952) was a
collie
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...
dog who in 1945 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 ...
, considered to be 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 ...
for animals. During the later stages of the Second World War he served as a search and rescue dog in London. He attended the 1946 Civil Defence Stand–Down parade, where he was presented to the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, and
Princess Elizabeth. His medal was auctioned in 2000 for £4,600 (US$6,964).
Rescue career
Peter was born in 1941, and was purchased by Mrs Audrey Stables, of Gregory Avenue,
Weoley Castle
Weoley Castle is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The area is part of the Weoley local authority electoral ward, and also comes under the Northfield local council constituency. The suburb of Weoley Castle is ...
, for 25
shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...
s. He was noted by his owner as having dual talents; for destruction of his owner's home and for ignoring every command given.
[ He was transferred into war service, serving with Air Ministry dog-handler Archie Knight at the Civil Defence depot in Chelsea. He was known as Rescue Dog No. 2664/9288 Peter.][
Active from early 1945 until the end of the Second World War, Peter acted as a search and rescue dog in London. Knight wrote of the dog in a report, "I think one of his finest jobs was on Monday. We were called 20 hours after the incident and after several hours of heavy rain. Three bodies were missing and he very quickly indicated in a most unlikely spot, but he was right, and they uncovered a man and a woman. The next day we were called to another job. There were so many calls for Peter that I worked him 10 hours and he never once refused to give all he had. All his marks revealed casualties. I hated to work him like this – but I also hated to refuse the rescue parties who were asking for him."][ Peter's rescue efforts were not limited to saving people; on one occasion he indicated a trapped victim which turned out to be a ]grey parrot
The grey parrot (''Psittacus erithacus''), also known as the Congo grey parrot, Congo African grey parrot or African grey parrot, is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. The Timneh parrot ''(Psittacus timneh)'' once was identified as ...
.[ On another occasion he saved six people in a single attack.]
In 1946, Peter and his handler were present at the Civil Defence Stand–Down parade in Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...
. It was there that he was presented to King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, and received a kiss on the nose from Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth II.
He was later used to demonstrate mountain rescue techniques to other rescue dogs and handlers. He returned home to Mrs Stables, and moved to a PDSA animal sanctuary before he died.[ Peter was buried at the PDSA's ]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 ...
on 20 November 1952, one of twelve recipients of the Dickin Medal to be buried there.[
]
Awards
Peter 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 ...
, considered to be 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 ...
for animals,[ in November 1945. His citation read, "For locating victims trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the MAP attached to Civil Defence of London."] The ceremony was conducted at the Grosvenor House Hotel
]
JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, originally named the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. The hotel is managed by JW Marriott Hotels, which is a brand of Marriott Internationa ...
, where he was awarded the medal by Sir James Ross of the Air Ministry. The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal metaphorical 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 ...
.
His Dickin Medal was auctioned by Spinks on 27 July 2000 for £4,600 (US$6,964). Peter's owner had died, and the medal was being sold by a private collector.[ At the same auction, the Dickin Medal awarded to the pigeon Tyke (pigeon), Tyke was also sold.]
See also
*List of individual dogs
This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements in ...
References
External links
PDSA Dickin Medal, including "Roll of Honor" PDF
{{Dickin Medal
Individual dogs awarded the Dickin Medal
1941 animal births
1952 animal deaths
The Blitz