Roy, the heroic military aspin

In 2015, a cross-breed of Aspin (Asong Pinoy) and Labrador, Roy, played a major role in helping in the search and retrieval operations of many missing persons and after a tragic landslide in Mankayan, Benguet.

“Amid the loss of hope of the relatives of missing persons, Roy did what was almost impossible and went through tons of mud,” Col. Benjie Hao, then army spokesman said.

Roy guided rescue teams and retrieved four cadavers who had been buried in the landslide. If not for his heroic acts, the families of those deceased would not have been able to provide a decent burial and move on from the tragic accident.

The heroic dog and his unit, the 5^th Company of the Army K9 Battalion, were recognized by the Bureau of Animal Industry. Roy was also awarded with a star during the founding anniversary of the Army’s Intelligence Service Group.

“Roy is a special military working dog. Despite being a mixed breed, he is intelligent and capable. He can keep pace with pure breeds,” said Sgt. Wilfredo Fiesta, team leader of the 5^th K9 Company.

Pfc Cristanto de Gracia, Roy’s handler, loved Roy’s drive to learn. Roy was first enlisted to undergo basic dog obedience training and was deployed as an Army tracker dog at the 5^th Infantry Division in Upi, Gamu, Isabela.