Sasha DM (2004–2008) was a Labrador Retriever who served as a bomb

detection dog A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones. The sense most used by ...

for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

whilst stationed in Afghanistan. Sasha and her handler,

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

Kenneth Rowe, were killed in July 2008. Sasha 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 ...

, also known as the animals'

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 ...

, in 2014.

Military career

Sasha was originally assigned as a bomb detection search dog to Marianne Hay, who gave Sasha up as she felt that they couldn't work in the field together as they had become too close. Heyhoe (2012): p. 9 Sasha was assigned to Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe in May 2008, while Hay was given the

English Springer Spaniel The English Springer is a dog breed, breed of gun dog in the Spaniel group traditionally used for flushing and retrieving game. It is an affectionate, excitable breed with a typical lifespan of twelve to fourteen years. They are very similar ...

Leanna. Prior to deployment in Afghanistan, Sasha and Rowe were well known to the other members of the 104 Working Dog Unit, based at St George's Barracks, North Luffenham,

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. Sasha was particularly friendly with Treo, whose handler described Sasha as "Treo's bit of skirt" and said himself that "if there is one dog in the 104 that can rival Treo's abilities, it's her".

Service in Afghanistan

Sasha served with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute regiment in the

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

region, working out of the Inkerman base. The weapons Sasha found included mortars, mines, and other weapons, with one particularly large find in

Garmsir Garmsir ( ps, ګرمسير; from Persian گرمسیر, meaning "hot place") is the center of Garmsir District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Helmand River on at 714 m altitude and 63 km southwest ...

. During her time in Afghanistan, she made 15 confirmed finds of either ammunition caches or hidden explosives. Sasha was well liked by the troops in the Parachute regiment, and raised morale whenever she was on patrol. She also liked to chase the feral cats that inhabited the base. Sasha and her handler were killed during an ambush on their patrol on 24 July 2008. A sniper had shot Sasha, and although injured, the dog returned to her handler. The

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

forces used this to locate Rowe's position and killed both dog and handler with a volley of five

rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...

s. Heyhoe (2012): p. 238 They had been scheduled to return to the UK on the day before their deaths, but Rowe had asked to remain behind as there was no incoming dog team to take over and he was concerned about the safety issues for his regiment. Heyhoe and other members of the 104 returned to

Camp Bastion Camp Shorabak (formerly Camp Bastion) is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres. The camp was built ...

to escort Rowe and Sasha's remains onto the

C130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

transport plane when they were returned to the UK. An honour guard of the local forces in dress uniforms were also present as Rowe's coffin was carried onto the plane. Heyhoe (2012): p. 240 Sasha's ashes were returned on the same flight in a brass shell case engraved with her name and details. It was carried by Marianne Hay, Sasha's first handler. Heyhoe (2012): p. 241 Their remains arrived at

RAF Lyneham Royal Air Force Lyneham otherwise known as RAF Lyneham was a Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chippenham, Wiltshire, and southwest of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transpor ...

on 29 July 2008, where a private repatriation service was held and a subsequent parade through

Wootton Bassett Royal Wootton Bassett , formerly Wootton Bassett, is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001, increasing to 11,385 in 2011. Situated in the north of the county, it lies to the west of the major ...

. Rowe's family were subsequently awarded the

Elizabeth Cross The Elizabeth Cross is a form of recognition given to the recognised next of kin of members of the British Armed Forces killed in action or as a result of a terrorist attack after the Second World War. It bears the name of the late British monar ...

in his honour in 2010.

Dickin Medal

It was announced in April 2014 that Sasha was to be posthumously awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal. The Director General of the PDSA, Jan McLoughlin said of the award "We are extremely proud to be awarding a posthumous PDSA Dickin Medal to Military Working Dog Sasha. The award is even more poignant as we approach the centenary of World War One and are reminded of the huge debt we owe the animals who serve in times of conflict. Sasha's exceptional devotion to duty in Afghanistan saved many lives, both soldiers and civilians. This medal, recognised worldwide as the animals' Victoria Cross, honours both Sasha's unwavering service and her ultimate sacrifice." The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal metaphorical equivalent of the

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