Buster’s Monument

When we hear about a military dog that’s saved thousands of lives, we suspect that most of us would guess the dog to be a Malinois, Dutch Shepherd or German Shepherd. “Buster,” a Springer Spaniel, shattered that notion. Over the course of his career, Buster is believed to have saved over a thousand lives by sniffing out improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weapons and other ammunition, patrolling British bases, searching vehicles at check points, and foiling suicide bombers in Afghanistan after discovering their explosive vests, work for which the keen nose of his breed was well suited. Buster earned a slew of medals for his service over the course of five tours of duty to Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq, and at long last, he was retired from the RAF (Royal Air Force) in 2011. Upon retirement, Buster was made the official RAF Police mascot.

Buster passed away at the age of thirteen last year (July 16, 2015)  at the home of his handler, Flight Sergeant Will Barrow. His time on earth, and the service he provided, was marked with the monument you see at the right.

You can read more about Buster, and see more picture of him here.
Buster’s brave exploits have also been documented in Flt Sgt Barrow’s book, Buster: The dog who saved A Thousand Lives.