Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, died from gunshots when he was sent into an apartment building in the suburb of Saint Denis to find terrorists involved in the series of attacks in Paris a few days earlier.
His death caused mass public grief and sparked the social media trend #JeSuisChien [which translates to English as "I'm a dog"].
Diesel, tragique disparition d'un chien-policier: https://t.co/Pqpj0fFFx7 #jesuischien pic.twitter.com/VMn6Mtxjme
— Almo Nature FR (@AlmoNatureFR) 23 ноября 2015
The UK vet charity PDSA honored Diesel by posthumously awarding him with the Dickin Medal, which is the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.Gallantry medal for Diesel, police dog #JeSuisChien (I Am A Dog) killed after #ParisAttacks https://t.co/1fJcs8GYXM pic.twitter.com/bA9iTdN6kv
— The Straits Times (@STcom) 28 декабря 2015
"Following the tragic terrorist events in Paris last month, where many innocent people lost their lives, Diesel was instrumental in helping the French police locate and deal with the perpetrators," PDSA director Jan McLoughlin said, as quoted by the British newspaper Mirror.
Besides Diesel, the Dickin Medal has been awarded to 30 other dogs, 32 messenger pigeons from the World War II era, three horses and one cat, the newspaper said.
