A retired US Marine Corps dog has today become the 75 th recipient of the PDSA

Dickin Medal* - the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

The highest honour available for animals, Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) Bass was

presented with the award for his bravery and life-saving devotion to duty after his six-

year service in the US Marine Special Operation Command (MARSOC).

Ten-year-old Bass was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia during this time

where he conducted more than 350 explosive sweeps and 46 high-value missions.

But it was during a night-time, air-borne raid targeting a Taliban bomb-maker in May

2019 when Bass’ devotion to duty was truly shown.

While in active firefight with barricaded enemy fighters, Bass identified five explosive

devices, directly resulting in lives being saved.

The now-retired Belgian Malinois, who lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his former

handler, Staff Sergeant Alex Schnell, was presented his Medal today during a virtual

ceremony with Jan McLoughlin, Director General of leading vet charity PDSA. The

video of Bass’ story and presentation can be viewed at Bass's story PDSA.

Discussing the honour, Jan said: “Bass displayed conspicuous gallantry and

devotion to duty in aiding the success of his team’s mission that evening, his actions

undoubtedly prevented additional loss of life.

“That night, and Bass’ life-saving actions on multiple other occasions as an MPC,

make him a truly deserving recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal.” 

The world-renowned PDSA Dickin Medal was introduced by PDSA’s founder, Maria

Dickin CBE.

In 1917, Maria opened her first PDSA veterinary clinic, with the aim to ensure no pet

was denied veterinary because of their owner’s circumstances – a mission the

charity continues today.

By the start of WWII, PDSA had Pet Hospitals across the county and was helping

thousands of pets and their owners every year.

In 1943, after seeing the incredible difference animals were making in the war effort,

Maria awarded the first PDSA Dickin Medal, which she established to recognise

animals that display conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty in the field of military

conflict. Nearly 80 years later it remains the highest award any animal can receive.

Bass’s story

Born on 25 May 2012, Bass joined the US Marine Special Operation Command

alongside his handler Alex Schnell in 2014.

As an MPC, Bass brought many capabilities to the teams he served with, from

detecting explosive material to performing team protection through controlled

aggression and tracking the movements of target groups.

He was deployed four times during his service to three separate countries;

Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia where he conducted more than 350 explosive sweeps

and 46 missions to capture high-value targets.

It was 20 May 2019, while on deployment in Afghanistan, that the US Marine Special

Operation Team, accompanied by MPC Bass, conducted a night-time, airborne raid

to target a Taliban bomb-maker in Helmand Province.

As the team approached the target structure, hidden Taliban fighters unleashed a

barrage of small arms fire and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). This

initial enemy contact killed two Afghan partners that were working as part of the

MARSOC team and suggested the presence of additional IEDs.

In order to avoid frontal assault against a barricaded enemy, the team began

clearance of a building adjacent to the enemy stronghold. To help them gain a safer

vantage point and a place to take care of their casualties.

Bass took the lead in the clearance and immediately identified an IED located

adjacent to the doorway of the building that the team intended to clear.

After finding another entry to the building, Bass continued to sweep the structure and

identified four additional IEDs.

These finds, while in an active firefight with barricaded enemy fighters, directly

resulted in American and Afghan lives being saved as the team worked through the

mine-laced area.

MPC Bass’ devotion to duty in identifying explosive devices, aiding the success of

the mission that evening, undoubtedly prevented additional loss of life.

Award Reaction

Reacting to the award Bass’ handler, Alex Schnell, said: “It is truly one of my

greatest honours to see Bass awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal. Bass is an incredible

dog and I hope his story helps to demonstrate just how important animals are to our

armed forces, and the key, sometimes life-saving, roles that they play. We are all

incredibly proud that PDSA has recognised Bass in this way.”

Bass was nominated for the award by former MARSOC K-9 program manager and

current president of Stateside non-profit, US War Dogs Association, Chris

Willingham. He said: “Bass and Alex made an incredible team and were amongst the

top five percent of Marines I had the honor of serving with. Bass’s service and skill

demonstrates the finest traditions of K-9 and I am thrilled to see his achievements

recognized with the PDSA Dickin Medal.”

The PDSA Dickin Medal is a large, bronze medallion bearing the words “For

Gallantry” and “We Also Serve” all within a laurel wreath. The ribbon is striped green,

dark brown and sky blue representing water, earth and air to symbolise the naval,

land and air forces. The Medal has been awarded 75 times to 38 dogs (including

Bass), 32 pigeons, 4 horses and 1 cat.

Retirement Life

“Bass has taken to retirement like a pro”, explains Alex, who adopted him in 2019

along with his wife, Maddie. “Bass comes everywhere with me and still manages to

turn heads wherever he goes. We’ve loved taking him hiking and camping and

spoiling him as much as possible during his well-deserved retirement.”

Bass also joined the US War Dogs Association when he retired – an organization

that supports retired MWDs and their handlers by providing free prescription drugs,

emergency and specialist veterinary care and a range of other services that support

both ends of the leash.

“It can be costly to adopt a retired MWD as they have worked so hard during their

careers, their bodies need some extra TLC”, explains Alex. “Owning an older dog

inevitably throws up some health challenges too, and Bass gave us quite a scare

recently when he collapsed in November 2022. We took him to the emergency vet

who said his spleen had ruptured, requiring life-saving surgery. The cause of the

rupture was a tumor, which was removed with the spleen and Bass has since been

having therapy to keep the cancer at bay.”

The cost of Bass’s treatment totalled over $8,000, which US War Dogs covered as

part of its Emergency Care Program. President Chris Willingham said: “We were

honored to help Bass out when he needed us – he’s a true hero and he deserves the

best care. We are proud to support over 1,200 retired MWDs like Bass, with practical

help that benefits their families and helps to alleviate some of the financial burden.

They gave their best years in service to our country so this is the least we can do to

repay the debt of gratitude we owe to them.”