Blog

Retired military dog Kuno is to receive the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal for valour – the animal Victoria Cross – after he was wounded in action while heroically saving the lives of British Forces fighting Al Qaeda. Retired military dog Kuno is to receive the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal for valour – the animal Victoria Cross – after he was wounded in action while heroically saving the lives of British Forces fighting Al Qaeda. During a dangerous operation in 2019, three-year-old Belgian Shepherd Malinois Kuno and his handler were deployed in support of specialist UK and host nation forces on a compound raid against a well-armed and aggressive enemy when they came under attack. Pinned down by grenade and machine-gun fire from an insurgent, the assault force was unable to move without taking casualties. Without hesitation, Kuno charged through a hail of gunfire to tackle the gunman, breaking the deadlock and changing the course of the attack, allowing the mission to be completed successfully. During the assault Kuno was wounded by bullets in both back legs. He was given life-saving treatment by his handler and by medics in the back of a helicopter. His injuries were so severe he required several operations before he was stable enough to fly back to the UK. Sadly, part of one of Kuno’s rear paws had to be amputated to prevent life-threatening infection. But now he is thriving after becoming the first UK military working dog to be fitted with custom made prosthetic limbs.Hospital. Picture by Shaun Fellows / Shine Pix Ltd Notes to Editors At PDSA we believe that every pet deserves to live a happy and healthy life. As the UK’s leading veterinary charity, with 51 Pet Hospitals and over 380 Pet Practices, we strive to improve pets’ lives – through prevention, education and treatment. Every year our dedicated veterinary teams carry out 2.7 million treatments on 470,000 pets. For media enquiries contact the Press Office on 01952 797234, email pr@pdsa.org.