He was hailed a hero after sniffing out more than 250 bombs in Africa and the Middle East, saving countless lives.
By Victoria Ward
7:00AM GMT 10 Jan 2012
But Major, a British-born demining dog, was being mourned last night having been put down after 15 years of faithful service.
The black Labrador was described as an “extremely friendly and loyal friend” by his owner, John Dingley, a senior technical adviser for the United Nations Mine Action Service.
He said Major, whose full name was Major Kipper-Ridge, held the record for the number of mines detected in Somalia.
He was responsible for detecting 67 Pakistani P4 anti-personnel mines which are notoriously difficult to locate by metal detectors and are particularly hazardous to clear.
He also located more than 100 UXO, or unexploded ordnance mines, and 17 anti tank landmines.
Read more...