British hero dog rescued from Taliban by commandos
In a story that seems to have come straight out of a Sly Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, a dog that saved the lives of troops in Afghanistan has been rescued from the Taliban by commandos.
The dog, named Brin, is an Afghan Hound and he wondered onto the base of the Coldstream Guards a few months ago. He was given by the guards to the Gurkha Rifles, who he then began to follow when they went on their patrols looking for Taliban forces. Rather than get in the way, Brin would help find Taliban planted explosive devices because of the way they smelt, alerting his pals to their presence and saving their lives.
The British troops even heard rumours locally that the Taliban believed that the dog was a special SAS dog who had been flown in to help combat them – rather than being a stray dog who just so happened to wander in off the street.
However, on a recent mission the plans changed late in the day and the troops had to be air lifted out, leaving Brin behind to fend for himself – where he was taken prisoner. Rumours then spread locally that the Taliban had captured the ‘SAS dog’.
When Brin failed to return to the base on his own, the Afghan National Army was alerted and asked to keep an eye out for him. They did just that – rescuing the dog last week when they raided a Taliban outpost, returning him to the British base so that he could resume his duties with the Gurkha Rifles.
Captain Mark Townsend is Brin’s unofficial dog handler. He commented:
“Brin’s very cheerful and our folks have sent anti-flea and de-worming tablets.
He’s finally got toys and dog treats, all things he’s never seen before. It’s nice to have him with us.
He’s a big morale booster. He’s a reminder of our pets in the UK and it’s nice to have a bit of a break once in a while and have something that’s like a comfort from home.”
Hopefully Brin won’t be left behind in the heat of battle again!
I am desperately trying to get Brin home for Mark. I have made contact with airlines that can do this and also quarantine in the UK.
Please help by donating..this is going to be around £6,000.
Together we can make a difference
Thankyou
Sally
That’s not Brin – it’s Allan the Vallon!
Hi guys,
Glad there is such interest in Brin’s story. I am his “handler” in the patrol base in afghanistan and am very keen to get him back to the UK with me when I rotate out. As some of you have realised his fate is unknown once I leave and I cannot guarentee his safety when I’m gone. We have begun fundraising to get him home but we need your help. If you would like to contribute to Brin’s safe ticket out of a warzone to a better home go to http://funds.gofundme.com/SallyBaldwin/Brin and donate whatever you can spare to the fund that Sally Baldwin is running on our behalf while we are in the PB. We have to raise $6000 to get him out: we are already a sixth of the way there, so dig deep people! Brin needs your help to come home.