The honour is the equivalent of an OBE for animals
The PDSA Order of Merit*, known as the animals’ OBE, recognises animals that have demonstrated outstanding devotion to their owner or wider society.
To mark the 10th anniversary, two specialist detection dogs, who spent over a decade searching for illegal cigarettes and tobacco and a military horse from The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, who led Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession, have all been awarded a PDSA Medal.
Yoyo & Scamp’s story
Yoyo & Scamp have become the 53rd and 54th recipients of the PDSA Order of Merit following an impressive decade-long career.
Alongside their handler Stuart, Yoyo and Scamp conducted more than 1,000 searches a year, working with Trading Standards Officers and Police Services across the country to discover illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
The Spaniels uncovered:
- 40 million illegal cigarettes
- 18 tonnes of illicit hand-rolling tobacco with a joint approximate value of £31.2 million
- As well as over £5 million of criminal cash
And searched:
- More than 10 premises every single working day
- visiting over 6,600 shops
- 210 storage sites
- 400 domestic dwellings, and
- More than 1,000 vehicles
Speaking about the occasion, Stuart said: “I feel very emotional, in all honesty. It’s incredible to see the dogs getting recognised. “I work a lot with the Trading Standards, Police and HMRC Customs units and what’s remarkable about Yoyo Scamp is their consistency.
“Both dogs came from unwanted families as rescues, and despite that, they put so much effort into their work, often in very challenging circumstances.” Some of the duo’s most notable searches and finds are as follows:
Walsall Council
Yoyo helped to find 112,000 illegal cigarettes and 40kg of hand-rolling tobacco with an estimated street value of £85,000. On another occasion and despite not being trained to find drugs, Yoyo also managed to identify a storage unit containing Cannabis with an estimated value of £750,000.
Scamp found a sophisticated concealment, where a key fob operated the movement of part of a wall in the storeroom, revealing numerous packets of illicit cigarettes.
Newcastle upon Tyne
In a shop that had previously been searched by Trading Standards Officers, Yoyo found multiple units of illegal cigarettes and tobacco that had been previously hidden from the Officers. Whilst outside the shop, Scamp started to show some interest in a parked car. Scamp sniffed the boot a couple of times then stood dead still, staring intently at it. Police who were accompanying Trading Standards on the day instructed the owner to open the car – 20 sleeves of tobacco were found within the car.
North Lincolnshire Council
After recovering illegal tobacco from a shop, Stuart took Yoyo into the rear yard of the shop where Yoyo immediately made his way to the alleyway and began to indicate at a steel roller shutter door at the adjacent premises. When the door was opened, there was another locked door, with a staircase behind, which again had a locked door at the top of two flights of stairs. On entering the flat behind the locked doors, the team discovered 250,000 cigarettes and 200kg of tobacco. This discovery led to a Crown Court trial and conviction of the shop operator who received a custodial sentence.
On another occasion, when searching a bedsit, Scamp located over 125,000 cigarettes and 275 kg of tobacco concealed beneath kitchen units, hidden within bed frames and furniture.
Now, the pair are enjoying retirement in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with their owner Stuart and his wife and daughter. Stuart added: “We live in a beautiful part of the world surrounded by beaches. All my dogs, live where we do, Scamp and Yoyo are no different.
“All their time with me, they’ve never been in kennels. They’ve lived as part of the family in the house, even as working dogs before retirement they were a part of the family.
“Next to our kitchen, we have a small room where I keep bottled water and household utilities.
“Everybody in the family refers to this room as Scamp’s bedroom. Yoyo spends most of his time on the sofa now. My father-in-law, now in his 90s, looks after chicken and geese on the land here. Every morning, these two are out early with him.
“It’s safe to say they really enjoy their life to the maximum.”
Yogi’s story
Lord Firebrand, known affectionately as Yogi has become the 55th recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit.
Yogi has been a Military Working Horse for 10 years. Often praised for his calm and reliable nature, Yogi has participated in the full range of State Ceremonial and Public Duty (SCPD) activities throughout his career such as the State Opening of Parliament, State Visits and Trooping the Colour.
Due to his calm and steady nature, Yogi provided unique emotional support to his rider on two occasions in particular:
On 13 May 2022, Yogi was chosen to be the Parade Commander’s horse for the Platinum Jubilee Celebration. He was specially chosen for his poise and reliability in stressful situations as the parade is a particularly challenging role for any horse. The horses were required to stand still for up to two hours and remain so, despite large ranks of Foot Guards adorned in their imposing bearskins conducting massed foot and rifle drills in front of them.
In September 2022, Yogi was part of every element of Operation London Bridge – the codename given to all events leading up to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Most significantly, Yogi led the procession conveying Her Majesty’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the period of Lying in State. There was only one full rehearsal for the event, in the middle of the night, during the hours of darkness and with minimal crowds.
Speaking about Yogi, his rider for this occasion, Captain Amy Cooper, said “Yogi is the only horse I would trust to deliver such a high-profile parade, under such scrutiny and pressure. Yogi is always the first choice for any parade commander.”
Yogi retired in December 2023 after a 10-year career with The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. He now lives with a former Officer of the King’s Troop and their family and enjoys regular gentle exercise in the countryside.
Commenting on the award, Jan McLoughlin, PDSA Director General, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Yoyo & Scamp and Yogi with the PDSA Order of Merit.
“Yoyo & Scamp’s actions throughout their careers as specialist detection dogs have shown outstanding devotion to duty to wider society, above and beyond normal companionship.
“Their excellent detection skills are remarkable and show the value and richness animals bring to society.
“Throughout Yogi’s career, he has been the first choice of any parade commander due to his striking appearance and professional conduct. His contribution to the defence and the nation is without question.
“The unique emotional support that he provided to his riders throughout his career showcased the special relationship between humans and animals. Yogi instilled a sense of trust and belief beyond his general role and responsibility by supporting his rider during high-pressure occasions such as Operation London Bridge.”
“Because of this, they are very worthy recipients of the PDSA Order of Merit.”
All three recipients were awarded the PDSA Order of Merit at an event held at the Tower of London 2 October. *
PDSA’s Animal Awards Programme
PDSA’s Animal Awards Programme was instituted in 1943 by the charity’s founder, Maria Dickin. She believed that if animals were recognised for their heroic actions, it would help to raise their status in society and ensure better treatment. The charity continues this legacy today as the world’s leading Animal Awards Programme.
The PDSA Order of Merit is one of four awards available. It recognises animals who display outstanding devotion above and beyond normal companionship, and animal acts that symbolise their special relationship with humans.
“By awarding animals with the PDSA Order of Merit, we hope to ensure that extraordinary animal contributions to society can be formally recognised and honoured, however and wherever they occur,” Jan added.
To date, the charity has awarded the PDSA Order of Merit to 55 animals, 13 horses including Yogi, and 42 dogs including Yoyo & Scamp.
*Yogi wasn’t able to attend the event 2 October. Major Samuel Littlejohn attended in person to represent Yogi
