 Buster and His Handler
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Dec. 10, 2003 — A British army search dog named Buster was honored with a bravery award on Tuesday for sniffing out a hidden cache of weapons and explosives during the war in Iraq.
The six-year-old springer spaniel, with his white belly and floppy brown ears, was given the Dickin Medal — the highest honor for military bravery bestowed on British and Commonwealth army animals.
Princess Alexandra, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, awarded Buster his medal during a special ceremony at London's Imperial War Museum.
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"It is such an honor, not just for Buster, for myself and the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, but also for all the dogs that were deployed (in Iraq)," said Buster's handler Sergeant Danny Morgan.
"He is really taking it like a team captain," Morgan said of Buster as the pair posed for cameras outside the museum.
Buster was honored for breaking an Iraqi resistance cell in Safwan, southern Iraq, in March when he discovered a hidden cache of weapons and explosives.
The weapons' haul included Russian AK47 assault rifles, a pistol, six grenades, ammunition, two kilograms of cocaine and propaganda material.
The Dickin Medal has been awarded to 60 British and Commonwealth force animals since 1943, including 32 World War II carrier pigeons, 24 dogs, three horses and a ship's cat.
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