Army dog dies after his handler is killed in Afghanistan

Thu, 03 Mar 2011

An army sniffer dog who was trained to search for bombs has died shortly after his handler, Liam Tasker, a Lance Corporal in the British army, was shot dead in Afghanistan.

Theo, a springer spaniel, holds the record for finding the most weapons and homemade bombs in Afghanistan and suffered a heart attack after Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was killed by small arms fire while the pair were on patrol in Helmand province.

Lance Corporal Tasker of The Royal Army Veterinary Corps, 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, had praised the dog for his dedication. "I love my job and working with Theo. He has a great character and never tires. He can't wait to get out and do his job and will stop at nothing," he said last month.

The MoD has disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request that Theo's death adds to the five British military dogs killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and November last year.

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