The hero of Ukraine the size of a beer bottle is Patron, a mine-sniffing jack russell has received a medal of honor from president zelensky and now has his own twitter account showing the world his valiant efforts and no doubt fashion sense.
He is currently the most favorite Ukrainian dog in the world, and after the video about being rewarded with a bravery medal, he already has 250,000 followers on Instagram.
The 2-year-old patron is undoubtedly the star of the billboards that symbolize his country’s challenge to Vladimir Putin. He is the ‘soul’ of the group and helps the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) in clearing explosives.
Patron was originally bought to show at dog shows, but has now discovered more than 200 deadly Russian landmines and unexploded bombs.
He first gained notoriety when Ukraine’s State Emergency Service posted a video online of him working in the war-torn northern city of Chernihiv.
He received his medal at the presidential palace in Kiev with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was watching and admired his work on the ground during the visit. His owner Mykhailo Iliev is a bomb disposal expert and soon after he bought Patron he realized how useful the dog could be in his work.
“This is his life, it’s all he’s ever known. It’s just a matter of chance that we have such a capable dog. He is not a service dog, he is my pet, but he has an amazing nose and is an avid learner. He was meant to be a show dog, but his destiny was to save people’s lives, not to win prizes,” said Mykhailo.
For six months, Patron was trained to detect TNT and gunpowder. When he does, he stops dead in his tracks and stands with his nose down as Mykhailo and his team approach. But he can sometimes find his work exhausting. Some days he is so tired that he does not eat his dinner.
“He comes home, drinks a water and just passes out. But he always wakes up excited to go back to work the next day,” says Mykhailo.
(Outney)
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