Hero: Private Steve Purdy and Belgian Shepherd Chocolat, the Army search dog who found a Taliban bomb factory and saved British soldiers from a booby trapHe is a super-sniffer who has been hailed a hero for saving dozens of British soldiers' lives by discovering a Taliban bomb factory.
Gutsy canine Chocolat is now expected to be honoured with the Dickin Medal - the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross as his reward.
The Belgian Shepherd dog detected a cachet of home-made weapons hidden by insurgents in Afghanistan.
There was enough material for the enemy to manufacture more than 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - sufficient to murder and maim countless UK troops and innocent Afghans.
And a few minutes later Chocolat, who works on the frontline with the Army's specialist Counter-IED Task Force, helped save his unit's men from carnage by helping them avoid walking into another buried booby-trap.
Last night the heroic hound was hailed by the soldiers for his life-saving efforts in the bazaar in an enemy stronghold in Helmand Province.
Senior military sources predicted the sniffer dog could be honoured with the Dickin Medal - the canine equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
His handler, Private Steve Purdy, said: 'Chocolat's success at finding IEDs in the initial few weeks of Operation Moshtarak was impressive and the troops really value him and his search capability.
Life-saver: Chocolat is expected to receive an award for his bravery'He is really helping to save the lives of some key players in the dangerous world of counter IED.'
Chocolat discovered the bomb-making factory as he searching a deserted bazaar near Nad'e Ali two weeks ago, shortly after the Taliban's white flag had been torn down.
As he passed an open-fronted shop, the brave hound turned sharply to the right and walked in, disappearing from the view of Pte Purdy, 20, who was holding his long leash.
Pte Purdy, who joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps before being posted to 101 Military Working Dogs Unit based in Aldershot, said: 'Chocolat totally right-angled, went in, and wouldn't come back.
'Normally he would never go out of my sight. That's how sure I was. It was enough for me to pull him back and say that there was something there.
A fingertip search of the shop found a horde of explosives, old claymore mines, pressure plates and other equipment needed to make IEDs.
After soldiers secured the mud-walled shop, the counter-IED team continued along the street running through the bazaar.
A large explosive was quickly spotted in front of another shop.
Because it was easily visible, the bomb disposal expert sent to defuse it feared he was being lured into a trap and that it might be a 'daisy chain' - two or more IEDs wired together and hidden nearby to maximise casualties among soldiers on patrol.
Chocolat was sent around the rear of the buildings to clear a safe route which allowed the soldiers to safely use explosives blow a hole through the shop's back wall.
When the large explosive was approached from behind, the soldiers discovered the area in front of the shop had been seeded with several IEDs to murder as many UK and Afghan troops as possible.
Pte Purdy, of Sudbury, Suffolk, who is attached to the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment and is on his second tour-of-duty of duty in Afghanistan, teamed up with Chocolat in March 2009.
Threat: Inside the bomb factory that had been booby trapped by the Taliban, putting British lives at risk He said: 'Chocolat is special to me as he is the first dog I've trained. He literally didn't know how to sit when I first got him.
'He is very cheeky but a really good dog, really good at his job. He is also a bit of a character.
'He tends to wake me up a lot in the night just with his toy wanting to play, or he'll destroy something that’s close by, like my flip flops.'
Chocolat shares a kennel with another Belgian Shepherd called Turbo.
A military source said: 'Together the dogs are making a vital contribution in the continuing battle against deadly IEDs.'
In February, the Dickin Medal was presented to nine-year-old black Labrador Treo and his handler Sergeant Dave Heyhoe for sniffing out roadside bombs in Afghanistan
source: dailymail
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