A loyal spaniel, which helped a fallen Fife soldier save countless lives in Afghanistan, is to be commemorated in a national memorial to service dogs.
Explosives search dog Theo died hours after his handler Lance Corporal Liam Tasker of Tayport was shot and killed by Taliban snipers in 2011.
Loved ones said the dog died of a broken heart.
Now he will be cast in bronze alongside three other service dogs at the Pet Cemetery in Holywell, North Wales, where a £150,000 memorial is planned.
The project led by the National Military Working Dogs Memorial (NMWDM) charity is also honouring explosives search dog and RAF Police mascot Buster, Royal Navy mascot and registered prisoner of war Judy, and RAF dog Lucky, a survivor of the Malaya Campaign.
Emma Ward, who works at the pet cemetery and is a NMWDM trustee, said the project had the backing of Liam’s family.
“We wanted to build a memorial for all the working dogs and have chosen Theo to represent the Army,” she said.
“It was only in 2011 and was still so raw, so I just wanted to make sure we had the backing of Liam’s family.
“We wanted to show how important dogs are to soldiers, for keeping their morale up.”
Liam and Theo developed a profound bond, and formed a formidable team when seeking out improvised explosive devices set by the Taliban.
At the time of his death Theo had made the most confirmed operational finds by any arms and explosives search dog in Afghanistan.
An inquest found his lead was still attached to Liam after the attack and it had to be cut so medical assistance could be given.
Theo’s ashes were flown back to Scotland on the same plane as his handler’s body and placed in Liam’s coffin.
The black and white spaniel was posthumously awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, the PDSA Dickin Medal.
The cemetery in Wales is a family business and the land for the memorial has been gifted to the charity by Emma’s father.
Emma added: “We’ve got a funding campaign at the moment because we have to raise £150,000 to build it.”
NMWDM has a number of celebrity patrons including comedian and television presenter Paul O’Grady and author and former war reporter Damien Lewis.
