This tiny terrier was one of the first ever search and rescue dogs used in Great Britain during the Second World War. His origins are unknown - he was found during the Blitz in Poplar, London by an air-raid warden named E. King. Eventually the two built up a friendship after the warden fed the dog some scraps and Rip went on to become the mascot of the local air raid patrol. This all seems fairly straight forward, until the dog started to dig in rubble for people trapped beneath despite having never been trained in this task. In twelve months from 1940 onwards, the dog managed to rescue more than a hundred people buried in rubble following air raids. At the time, there were no search and rescue dogs used for this task and indeed the success of Rip led to the British authorities implementing them towards the end of the war. He was awarded the Dickin Medal for the number of lives he saved during the Blitz. Rip died in 1946, and was buried in the PDSA Cemetery in Ilford, Essex. He was the first of several Dickin Medal winners to be buried there, a tradition which continues to this day. Rip's legacy is that not only did he directly save lives himself, but also began a trend which must have gone on to save thousands across Great Britain during the Second World War and beyond.
