Animal VC for dog who died of a broken heart: Theo’s handler killed by Taliban



Pair detected a record 14 Taliban roadside bombs and weapons cashes

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker and his 'best mate' Theo were 'inseparable'



LCpl, from Fife was posthumously honoured with MBE last year

Theo made the most confirmed operational finds by any arms and explosives search dog in Afghanistan to date



An army dog which died of a broken heart hours after his handler was shot dead has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Theo, a springer spaniel cross, received the PDSA Dickin Medal for life-saving bravery in Afghanistan.

The 22-month-old dog suffered a fatal seizure when his handler, Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, 26, was shot dead by the Taliban in March 2011.

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Heroes: Lance Corporal Liam Tasker and his springer spaniel Theo, who died just a few hours after his handler

The pair had uncovered 14 bombs and hoards of weapons in five months in Helmand Province – more than any other dog and handler in the conflict.

L/Cpl Tasker’s family were at Wellington Barracks, in central London, yesterday for the ceremony.

His mother Jane Duffy, 53, said her family were ‘ecstatic’.

She said: ‘We are absolutely delighted and so very, very proud. It means so much because Liam put Theo forward for the medal when he was in Afghanistan because he was so good.

‘He said that Theo used to get excited when they got out the Vallon [bomb-detecting equipment] and switched it on because it meant he was going out.

Liam got his Mention in Dispatches [the oldest recognition of gallantry in the Armed Forces], so it’s lovely that Theo is getting his Dickin Medal and being recognised for his bravery as well.’

Mrs Duffy, of Tayport, Fife, added: ‘I strongly believe that Theo died of a broken heart. I take comfort in that.’ Her son served with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps’s 104 Military Working Dog Squadron.

He was killed taking part in a mission in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand.

Man's best friend: LCpl Tasker thought of Theo as his 'best mate' and they were inseparable

L-R Jane Duffy, LCpl Tasker's mother, Sergeant Matthew Jones and the dead hero's sisters, Nicola Duffy and Laura Tasker, accepting the medal on behalf of Theo

Sergeant Matthew Jones and search dog Grace accept the PDSA Dickin medal at Wellington Barracks, London, on behalf of Theo the Army search dog

Not only did Theo sniff out homemade bombs, on one occasion he identified two hidden bags of fertiliser and a large quantity of parts for making improvised explosive devices.

And on another occasion he found a tunnel leading to a room in which insurgents were making bombs and hiding from coalition forces.

The Dickin Medal is the highest accolade that an animal can receive for saving human life while serving in a warzone.

Theo’s citation said his actions ‘undoubtedly saved the lives of coalition soldiers and civilians’.



The award was accepted by Sergeant Matthew Jones, who served alongside L/Cpl Tasker, and search dog Grace. L/Cpl Tasker’s family will receive a replica medal.

Colonel Neil Smith, director of the Army Veterinary Service, said: ‘This impressive team undoubtedly prevented many soldiers and civilians being killed or injured.

‘This award recognises not only a very special dog, but also the contribution that all our dog teams make in detecting improvised explosive devices and weapons caches.’

Theo’s is the first Dickin Medal to be presented since 2010.

Since its inception in 1943, it has been awarded to 28 dogs, 32 messenger pigeons, three horses and a cat.