Rip, a stray
dog who became a World War II hero after being found homeless and
starving in a bombing raid in London, will be remembered at an auction
next month.
Rip was saved by an Air Raid Precaution (ARP)
warden during the 1940 German attacks in the Poplar area. The
terrier-cross became the local ARP post's mascot and soon started
sniffing out casualties trapped under burning or bombed buildings.
He located more than 100 victims and won a Dickin Medal, the animal
equivalent of the U.K. military's Victoria Cross for bravery. His
circular bronze decoration will be offered by the specialist auction
house and dealers Spink on April 23. The medal will fetch as much as
10,000 pounds ($14,400), Spink said in an e-mail last night. It would
not name the seller.