Retired 'hero' army dogs Kevin and Dazz saved after minister intervenes
A pair of retired army dogs who were due to be put down because they could not be re-homed have been saved, a minister revealed on Monday.
Sir Alan Duncan stepped in to rescue Kevin and Dazz, who worked with troops in Afghanistan locating explosives. The dogs are based at the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, part of Sir Alan's constituency.
The Belgian shepherds were scheduled to be euthanized this week before Sir Alan appealed to the Ministry of Defence to save to dogs.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that army hero dogs Kevin and Dazz have been saved. They can now enjoy a very happy and well deserved retirement," he said.
A petition was launched to save the animals by former SAS soldier Andy McNab.
"It's a brilliant success story and no less than these dogs deserve," he told The Sun newspaper, which campaigned for the dogs' reprieve.
The petition gathered more than 370,000 signatures.
"In Afghanistan when I was on a patrol the dogs found an IED in front of us, I was number three in line, I was very, very lucky to survive," McNab said.
The Sun reported Kevin and Dazz are both aged nine and retired from the frontline about four years ago. They will now be re-homed along with a former police dog named Driver.
An MOD spokesman previously said: "Wherever possible, we endeavour to re-home them (dogs) at the end of their service life. Sadly, there are some occasions where this is not possible."