Medal to SSB Dog

Sir,
This refers to the news item’SSB dog wins DG’s first gold medal for animals’ (DE, Sep 27, 2017). It is heartening to read that Sashastra Seema Bal has decided to honour its four legged loyalists with the Director General’s Medals for the Force Animals including dogs, horses, ponies and mules, who have performed beyond expectations. Animals are an integral part of Armed Forces and they render valuable  service  to the forces both in times of peace and war. They are used for transportation of men and ammunition and for tracking ammunition and injured soldiers Many such animals exhibit superior levels of skill and dedication to duty and help the forces in detecting complex cases in counter insurgency operations and other crimes and many of them make the supreme sacrifice of their life while performimg their duty.
But unfortunately, the sacrifice of these animals goes unheard, unrecognised and unappreciated. Now that a beginning has been made by honouring an SSB Tracker Dog Spencer (German Shepherd) of 48th Bn Jayanagar, Frontier Patna by awarding him the First Director General’s Gold Medal, during a Tracker event at the 58th All India Police Duty Meet Competition, held in Punjab Police Academy, in March, 2015, it is hoped that the other animals employed by the Indian Army and the Paramilitatary Forces, who display high sense of duty and devotion will be suitably rewarded to convey the message that animals,in no way,lag behind our brave Armed Forces Personnel in performing their duties and solving complex cases of insurgency and crime and they are not afraid of losing their life in the wake of duty.
Yours etc…
Ashok Sharma,
Housing Colony, Udhampur