A dog named Lord has quickly become an internet star. Until now, he was known only to his human friends in the special unit of the Ukrainian police, with whom, shoulder to shoulder—or rather, shoulder to paw!—he has participated in complex police operations.
Now he’s fighting with them for their country, and inspires admiration not only in Ukrainians, but also in the rest of the world. He serves in Khmelnytskyi with his friend Roman in a special unit of the National Police.
In photos that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry posted on Twitter, we see Lord—probably a Belgian shepherd—looking sharp in a bulletproof vest, ready for action! And right next to Lord is Roman, giving him a friendly embrace, perhaps after a successful intervention.
Patron, the bomb squad dog
But Lord isn’t the only canine soldier faithfully serving Ukraine. Another dog highlighted on Twitter is named Patron. He probably doesn’t know Lord, because he serves in other units that are separated by more than 200 miles (Patron serves in Chernihiv), although who knows if they met in some special training.
Patron is a small Jack Russell terrier, and has been working with the bomb squad for two years. He’s a specialist in detecting mines and explosives; so far, he has reportedly found almost 90 explosive devices.
In the unit they call him “the heart and soul of the Chernihiv pyrotechnic team.”
Our four-legged friends have long helped track down criminals, detect drugs at airports or border crossings, and help find missing persons, or patrol hard-to-reach places. They’re important members of police and military teams—and doing the same today in Ukraine.
And today we celebrate...