© AP image - Paul White
Dog awarded for saving lives in Mallorca beach resort
PDSA Gold Medal for life-saving Police dog
A sniffer dog named Ajax was awarded the highest honour for bravery by the PDSA for his part in finding an ETA bomb in the Mallorca beach resort of Palmanova in 2009.
Ajax, who was gifted to the Spanish police force by the police in the UK, was on a security detail preceding the arrival of King Juan Carlos of Spain when he the bomb under a car on June 30 2009.
The bomb was the second explosive device planted by the Basque separatists that day. The first had already been detonated and claimed the lives of two members of the Civil Guard. Ajax and his handler Sergeant Jaun Carlos Alabarces Munzo were out searching for other potential threats when they discovered the device secured to the bottom of a car in the Civil Guard barracks.
Speaking to the PDSA, who awarded Ajax with his Gold Medal, Sergeant Munzo said “The bomb had been planted with the sole intention of killing more Civil Guard personnel. If Ajax had touched any part of the bomb, he would have activated its motion sensor and been killed along with myself and everyone else within range of the bomb. Ajax and I have worked together for over nine years – we’re partners and we understand each other very well. This strong relationship means that even with one small look or signal from him I know straight away that he is telling me something. It is wonderful to see his actions rewarded with the PDSA Gold Medal – there is no other medal quite like this which truly recognises and honours the role of animals in society.”
Ajax, who is now retired, was awarded his PDSA Gold Medal in a ceremony in Madrid on Tuesday. PDSA Director General, Jan McLoughlin, said “Ajax is a most worthy recipient of the PDSA Gold Medal, which acknowledges extreme acts of courage and dedication in civilian situations. His actions on that day, in the terrifying aftermath of the first bombing, undoubtedly saved many lives.”
