Army dog sniffs out bomb factory

animals#topic

A search dog has been hailed as a life saver after he stopped British soldiers in Afghanistan from walking into a booby trap.

Chocolat, a Belgian Shepherd, discovered a Taliban bomb factory during a search operation in a bazaar in the Nad-e-Ali region.

Hidden in a shop was equipment and enough explosives to make 10 improvised devices (IEDs).

The dog's handler Private Steve Purdy said: "Chocolat totally right-angled, went in, and wouldn't come back. Normally he would never go out of my sight. That's how sure I was. It was enough for me to pull him back and say that there was something there."

Suffolk-resident Private Purdy, 20, said the team had used Chocolat's help to navigate safely through the buildings and his behaviour alerted them to the booby trap.

Chocolat is among 11 bomb dogs employed by the Army in Afghanistan and his services are valued by the personnel.

Private Purdy, who is with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, added: "Chocolat is special to me as he is the first dog I've trained. He literally didn't know how to sit when I first got him in March 2009.

"Chocolat's success at finding IEDs in the initial few weeks of Operation Moshtarak was impressive and the troops really value him and his search capability. He is really helping to save the lives of some key players in the dangerous world of Counter IED."

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