Special forces dog wins 'animal Victoria Cross' for Taliban raid heroics

A special forces dog who sniffed out Taliban booby traps as elite British troops fought to clear militants from a Kabul tower block has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

The Belgian Malinois known as Mali was badly injured by shrapnel, but credited with saving British and Afghan lives as he took part in the Special Boat Service (SBS) assault.

The mission saw SBS operators fight at close quarters to kill a heavily armed suicide squad holed up in a half-built block on the edge of the city’s diplomatic district.

The mission to end the siege is thought to have been one of the most heavily decorated actions in Britain’s Afghan campaign, with several gallantry awards given to human participants.

Eight-year-old Mali has now been awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal for his role, joining only 68 other animals ever to receive the decoration.

Jan McLoughlin, director general of the veterinary charity, said: “Despite sustaining quite horrendous injuries, he absolutely stayed by his handler’s side and forged forward with them to help them carry out their duty. It’s that gallantry and devotion to duty that we are recognising.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/17/special-forces-dog-wins-animal-victoria-cross-taliban-raid-heroics/

Very good, but why do we have to involve animals in our squabbles. The number of horses and mules, dogs and pigeons killed and in the case of horses and mules abandonded to who knows what in the first world war is staggering, although considering humans were expendable in huge numbers I shouldn't be suprised or shocked. Maybe it would be better to go back to champions fighting each other to sort stuff out.

Vintage wrote:Very good, but why do we have to involve animals in our squabbles. The number of horses and mules, dogs and pigeons killed and in the case of horses and mules abandonded to who knows what in the first world war is staggering, although considering humans were expendable in huge numbers I shouldn't be suprised or shocked. Maybe it would be better to go back to champions fighting each other to sort stuff out.

Have a green, couldn't agree with you more. It's basically animal abuse and we pretend it is in some way noble. It's despicable.

sassy wrote:

Vintage wrote:Very good, but why do we have to involve animals in our squabbles. The number of horses and mules, dogs and pigeons killed and in the case of horses and mules abandonded to who knows what in the first world war is staggering, although considering humans were expendable in huge numbers I shouldn't be suprised or shocked. Maybe it would be better to go back to champions fighting each other to sort stuff out.

Have a green, couldn't agree with you more.   It's basically animal abuse and we pretend it is in some way noble.  It's despicable.

So do you think this animal wasted its time saving lives?

why is sex with an animal immoral
cos it cant give consent perhaps???

so...did this dog volunteer for the job
NO? OK... so thats also immoral right?

Lord Foul wrote:why is sex with an animal immoral
cos it cant give consent perhaps???

so...did this dog volunteer for the job
NO?  OK... so thats also immoral right?

Absolutely, the animal should not have been there in the first place.

Lord Foul wrote:why is sex with an animal immoral
cos it cant give consent perhaps???

so...did this dog volunteer for the job
NO?  OK... so thats also immoral right?

Why is it ethical to enslave an animal

Humans once saw people classed blacks as pets

Did animals volunteer to be your slave?

Would they have been if not born in the wild?

Didge wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:why is sex with an animal immoral
cos it cant give consent perhaps???

so...did this dog volunteer for the job
NO?  OK... so thats also immoral right?

Why is it ethical to enslave an animal

Humans once saw people classed blacks as pets

Did animals volunteer to be your slave?

Would they have been if not born in the wild?

thats actually a good question since on occaisions some animals born wild have been known to apparantly seek out human company for no apparant reason...(other than perhaps spotting a softy who will share his lunch with em

Lord Foul wrote:

Didge wrote:

Why is it ethical to enslave an animal

Humans once saw people classed blacks as pets

Did animals volunteer to be your slave?

Would they have been if not born in the wild?

thats actually a good question since on occaisions some animals born wild have been known to apparantly seek out human company for no apparant reason...(other than perhaps spotting a softy who will share his lunch with em

What percentage?

Vintage wrote:
Very good, but why do we have to involve animals in our squabbles. The number of horses and mules, dogs and pigeons killed and in the case of horses and mules abandonded to who knows what in the first world war is staggering, although considering humans were expendable in huge numbers I shouldn't be suprised or shocked. Maybe it would be better to go back to champions fighting each other to sort stuff out.

During World War One, hundreds of thousands of horses were abandoned in Europe and northern Africa --  over 40,000 (mostly 'Walers', now known as "stockhorses"..) from Australia and New Zealand alone -- when allied light horse regiments returned through Britain and France...

Most of them were slaughtered by the orders of hard-hearted bastard-minded British commanders, not prepared to return them home --  after all, couldn't let them fall into the hands of people still often regarded as the "enemy" (not even the local peasant farmers..).

Even though, apparently a few thousand lucky individuals were released into the Turkish, Egyptian and European countryside beforehand --  when troops and officers could facilitate their escape;  and no doubt adding a bit of hybrid vigour into the local bloodlines, where possible..

An even smaller number of warhorses were 'repatriated' at the end of the war.