Rescue dog up for bravery award
A Greater Manchester service dog has been nominated for a bravery award.
The Dogs Trust charity is considering 7 year old, golden Labrador, Echo for the award after he went to Haiti to help try and find victims of the Earthquake disaster that struck there in 2010.
The rescue dog had to cope with a range of difficult factors while he was out there. Temperatures were around 38C and, a week into the rescue efforts, Echo became ill with heat exhaustion and had to be placed on a drip. He also had to contend with debris, twisted metal and aftershocks. The devastation in Haiti left 230,000 people dead and Echo was not able to find any survivors.
Mike Dewar, canine team manager for the Greater Manchester Fire Service, said:
“The biggest problem we faced out there was the intense heat, when we left Manchester it was -2C, but when we got to Haiti it was like 100 degrees [Fahrenheit] and the dog really struggled. It was just about the worst case scenario you could think up for a dog, really.”
Mr Dewar said that he was really pleased that his dog’s actions were being acknowledged and added
“The dogs in the UK fire service are the unsung heroes really and it’s nice to get some recognition for the hard work the handlers and the dogs put in. The dogs are literally putting their lives on the line because we ask them to.
The winners of the award will be announced on the 1st June.
