Hertz DM

First of all, we need to explain his heritage, and this does become slightly complicated. Hertz is a German Shorthaired  Pointer, born in Croatia and transported to Britain, where he was enrolled on the Royal Air Force (RAF). Hertz was to become the first dog in British military history to be trained to detect (PEDs) Personal Electronic Devices; these include mobile phones, SIM cards, voice recorders and GPS devices. As this was their speciality, the prison service was to provide their invaluable expertise, as finding contraband hidden in the most ingenious places was their forte. To ensure that this pioneering project was to have the best chance of success, a suitable handler was initially chosen, as the ability of both dog and handler to bond was critical. Warrant Officer Jonathon Tanner was that man, and later Corporal Simon Dack would replace Tanner.

The destination for Hertz was to be Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, where, in 2013, he joined the rest of the canine contingent, 25 in all. The issue was a simple one, but until the arrival of Hertz, there was no way of solving the problem. The difficulty was that PEDs were a constant threat, as they could be used to assist the Taliban by directing hostile fire into the base with rockets.

Finding the right frequency

Now here is a piece of information that shook me and will give you an idea of the difficulty facing Hertz and Warrant Officer Tanner. Camp Bastion was huge; it accommodated up to 32,000 people and is on a plot of ground 4 miles by 2 miles. That’s 6 square miles, and that is the search area that Hertz was expected to cover.

Hertz and Tanner hit the ground running and started daily patrols and searches immediately within both military and civilian compounds. In a base that included British, Allied and coalition military personnel plus civilians, it was important that Tanner and Hertz showed no favouritism. Everywhere needed to be searched, and the task was immense, and let’s remember that Hertz was on his own, being the only dog with his ability. Not only was it a large area covered with every sort of dwelling, from tents to very large buildings, but there was a steady number of vehicles entering and exiting the facility. On top of all this, people’s personal belongings may also be the hiding place for any sort of contraband; however, with a nose that was so powerful in the sniffing department, nothing escaped the incredible canine. No matter how it was disguised, be it drugs, contraband or PEDs, nothing would escape Hertz.

Signal received

Even his first search was a significant success, as he unearthed a cache of both drugs and electronic devices that provided vital intelligence that helped thwart threats that had been responsible for fatalities among both U.S. and U.K. soldiers. In over 13 months of service, he was to discover over 100 items, including drugs, contraband and PEDs, and it is reported that there was not one single rocket attack on Camp Bastion whilst Hertz was there, a massive improvement on previous years that were marred by such attacks.

After Warrant Officer Tanner was redeployed, Hertz was reassigned to Corporal Simon Dack, and this new partnership was seamless as Hertz continued to be just as effective as their operations were extended to Helmand Province and Kabul in 2013.

The work that Hertz did in Afghanistan led to a major shift in counter-insurgency efforts, leading  the UK military to adapt to the use of technology for communications and targeting by hostile elements.

Signing off

Hertz was eventually retired and placed for adoption. Before any adoption could take place, a veterinary surgeon examined Hertz to assess his general health and ensure he was not suffering from issues commonly associated with military life. Such as joint strain from continuous patrolling and hearing problems from exposure to operational environments. He was adopted by Paul Chard, a civilian living in Surrey, and Warrant Officer Tanner is still involved with Hertz by regular visiting for welfare checks

On the 22^nd February 2022, Hertz was presented with the Dickin Medal, often referred to as the animal’s Victoria Cross (VC).