A bomb-sniffing dog who helped protect hundreds of British troops in Afghanistan got an early retirement — because he developed PTSD-like symptoms.
Five-year-old Vidar, a Belgian Malinois, could no longer perform his duties when he became terrified by the sounds of warfare, Caters News Agency reported.
Reserve Army Medic Angie McDonnell decided to bring Vidar to her home in Glamorgan, Wales from the kennels in the Helmand Province, where he was being kept ever since he became unable to perform his duties.
“He is such a big, frightened dog, I was worried that he might not get rehomed, that he would get overlooked and might end up being put down,” McDonnell told the news agency. “The dogs out there do an amazing job, protecting the men and women serving their country from dangerous IEDs.”
Vidar is improving every day, now that he’s nearly five thousand miles away from the front.
“Vidar was such a gentle soul, I knew he deserved a chance of a happy retirement,” said McDonnell, who wrote a book about Vidar’s sniffing career, called “Gun Shy,” BBC reported.
“When I first brought him home, I didn’t know what to expect, but now I have a fantastically loyal dog. He is [57 pounds] of love and I’m so glad to have him.”
