Major, the demining dog, dies after saving more than 200 lives

He was hailed a hero after sniffing out more than 250 bombs in Africa and the Middle East, saving countless lives.

“he displayed impeccable manners and rarely disgraced himself in the bar”

The Telegraph  January 10, 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

In 2006, he detected 53 cluster bombs during an emergency tour in Lebanon at the height of the conflict with Israel.

Even in retirement, Major did an “admirable” job as a guard dog, once preventing a robbery in Nairobi.

Mr Dingley, 46, from Draycott, Somerset, paid a fond tribute to his four-legged friend, whose working life was “nothing short of extraordinary”.

He said his incredible success saved more than 200 lives.

Major was born in March 1997 in Wigan. Although little is know about his early life, Mr Dingley said he was obviously from a well-bred family with good manners and a tremendous sense of fun.

Please read the entire story here