Found over 200 dead: Sparky received the Order of the Hero Dog of Ukraine
Sparky, a Belgian Shepherd serving in the Antares search-and-rescue unit, has been awarded the Order of the Hero Dog of Ukraine.
Sparky received this vital title for more than a decade of service, during which she found the dead and saved people.
Larisa Borysenko, the head of the unit, shared the joyful news on Facebook: “Today, my wonderful four-legged assistant Sparky received the Order of Hero Dog of Ukraine. She will soon turn 13 years old.”
Sparky has become an essential part of the universal dog training program, which started in 2013. These dogs can search for both living people among the rubble and the remains of the dead in the natural environment. Thanks to this initiative, the Antares team has gained international recognition.
During her service, Sparky found more than 200 bodies and rescued three people in combat zones. She has worked in various regions of Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Rivne, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Kyiv regions.
In addition to her search duties, Sparky holds a therapy dog certificate and has been helping children and military personnel overcome psychological difficulties since 2014. She actively supports the humanitarian project “On the Shield. She interacts with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the police, the State Emergency Service, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
Although Sparky faced health problems from an early age, thanks to the care of veterinarians and the support of volunteers, she continues her activities. Her owner notes that Sparky is an absolute angel who has done more for people than many others in their entire lives.
