By The Associated Press

Published: Thursday, October 25, 2012, 6:16 p.m.
Updated: Friday, October 26, 2012

British soldiers and military dogs gathered at a London army barracks Thursday to honor a fallen hero with selfless courage, nerves of steel — and four legs.

Theo, a bomb-sniffing springer spaniel who died in Afghanistan on the day his soldier was killed, was posthumously honored with the Dickin Medal, Britain's highest award for bravery by animals.

Theo worked alongside Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker, searching for roadside bombs in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.

Tasker, 26, died in a firefight with insurgents in March 2011, and Theo suffered a fatal seizure hours later. Tasker's mother, Jane Duffy, said the pair were inseparable. She's convinced Theo died of a broken heart.

“They'll be watching us, and they'll be so proud,” she said. “I just wish they were here to get it themselves.”

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