Incredible springer spaniel awarded medal in recognition of his outstanding work in searching for bodies underwater <\/p>
A\u00a0springer search and recovery dog,\u00a0who\u00a0specialised\u00a0in searching for the bodies of missing people underwater,\u00a0has been\u00a0awarded a prestigious medal – equivalent to the OBE \u00a0– posthumously.<\/strong><\/p> Thanks to\u00a0Barra\u2019s\u00a0incredible\u00a0work,\u00a0many\u00a0families\u00a0have been\u00a0reunited with the bodies of their loved ones and have been able to lay them to rest.\u00a0<\/p> Barra, who sadly died earlier this year,\u00a0aged 14,\u00a0became the 43rd recipient of the\u00a0PDSA Order of Merit<\/a>,\u00a0the equivalent of the\u00a0animals\u2019\u00a0OBE.\u00a0<\/p> Barra\u2019s owner, Iain Marshall said: \u201cI am\u00a0absolutely over the moon\u00a0that Barra has\u00a0received\u00a0the\u00a0PDSA Order of Merit\u00a0posthumously.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p> \u201cWe never did any of this for recognition in the form of\u00a0awards\u00a0or medals,\u00a0we\u00a0did it to help families who needed us\u00a0but none the less, we\u00a0are delighted to\u00a0see Barra\u2019s commitment to\u00a0search\u00a0and recovery being\u00a0recognised\u00a0by PDSA<\/a>\u00a0in this way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p> \u201cBarra was an incredible\u00a0search and rescue dog but also a loving and important member of our family\u00a0\u2013 we had an incredible bond and I\u00a0miss him every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> \u00a0Love\u00a0dogs<\/a>? Then check out our\u00a0pet’s section<\/a>\u00a0for more advice on everything from\u00a0Why dogs eat grass<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0how to get rid of fleas on dogs\u00a0<\/a>. There’s even a piece on how to\u00a0help your pet live longer – and happier<\/a><\/strong><\/p>