A to Z Challenge 2024

 

A to Z Challenge 2024

This year my blog posts for the April 2024 Challenge will be about the recipients of the Dickin Medal, which you can read about here. They are in alphabetical, not chronological order, within the different letters.

H

Hertz  2011(?)-present

Hertz, wearing his Dickin Medal

Image source

Hertz is a liver or liver roan German short-haired Pointer. He was born in Croatia and joined the RAF Police when he was one year old. He had already demonstrated an outstanding talent for drug detection and became the first Military Working Dog to be trained as a Digital Media Detection dog, discovering Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs).

Taking advice from the Prison Service, whose sniffer dogs are used to discover smuggled electronic gadgets, such as smartphones, Hertz’s handler, Warrant Officer Jonathan Tanner, trained him intensively.

His training was extremely specific and very precise in that he learnt to identify TPPO, (Triphenylphosphine Oxide) which is found in the coatings of small devices, like USB flash drives, SIM and SD cards. This work required great concentration.

                                    WO Tanner and Hertz 

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WO Tanner and Hertz were deployed to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan in the first half of the 21^st century, and in his first search, Hertz uncovered mobile devices being used to convey data to the enemy. He was subsequently responsible for detecting more than 100 items of electronic communication equipment, as well as caches of drugs. Many of these finds enabled the gathering of intelligence about significant threats of attack to military personnel and civilians.

For 13 months Hertz and WO Tanner patrolled Camp Bastion daily. There were no rocket attacks on the camp during that period, thanks to their vigilance and Hertz’s skill.

                        Corporal Dack with Hertz. Playtime?
                                            Image source 

When Jonathan Tanner’s tour of duty ended, Hertz was assigned to Corporal Simon Dack, and continued to work assiduously, a change of handler making no difference to his attitude and competence. In Helmand and Kabul, Hertz continued his detection work, ensuring the safety of servicemen and women, and civilian workers.

He was a pioneering dog in a world of rapidly advancing and developing digital intelligence.

He received his Dickin Medal in 2022 for protecting British and Allied troops.

‘Hertz is a truly remarkable animal hero and a trailblazer in his field.

His exceptional skills undoubtedly protected troops from the ever-evolving advances in digital intelligence. His actions changed the course of countless missions, saving the lives of military personnel and civilians.

“For this bravery and devotion to duty, we are honoured to welcome him as the latest recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal.'

                        WO Jonathan Tanner, Cpl Simon Dack and Hertz
                                                        Image source 

WO Jonathan Tanner, RAF Police, said, ‘For a Military Working Dog that I have trained and handled to be recognised in this way is fantastic. At no point during the training process or our operational deployment did I expect or even suspect that Hertz would be acknowledged on the global stage by the PDSA. I will forever look back at what we achieved with a massive smile on my face.'

Corporal Simon Dack, RAF Police, said, ‘As a team I would put Hertz into an area in which I believed prohibited items were hidden, and without fail he would find them. Hertz has an incredible drive to search, paired with a finely tuned nose, making him one of the most naturally gifted dogs I have had the privilege to work with.’