A Search and Recovery Dog, who specialised in searching for the bodies of missing people underwater, has been awarded a prestigious PDSA Medal posthumously for his unwavering devotion to duty and service to society following an impressive 11-year career.
Springer Spaniel Barra, who sadly died earlier this year aged 14, has become the 43rd recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit*, the equivalent of the animals’ OBE.
Alongside his handler Iain Marshall, (57), Barra helped locate missing people on waterways across the UK – and was often requested personally by families who were desperate to find their loved ones.
Thanks to Barra’s incredible work, many families have been reunited with the bodies of their loved ones and have been able to lay them to rest.
Award reaction
Commenting on the award, Jan McLoughlin, Director General at PDSA, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Barra posthumously with the PDSA Order of Merit.
“Barra’s outstanding devotion to duty and service to society was demonstrated time and time again throughout his decade-long career, and his exceptional skills went above and beyond that of normal companionship, making him a very worthy recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit.
“Awarding the PDSA Order of Merit to Barra posthumously is a fitting tribute to his lifetime of dedication and hard work.”
Barra’s owner, Iain, added: “I am absolutely over the moon that Barra has received the PDSA Order of Merit posthumously.
“We never did any of this for recognition in the form of awards or medals, we did it to help families who needed us but none the less, we are delighted to see Barra’s commitment to search and recovery being recognised by PDSA in this way.
“Barra was an incredible Search and Rescue Dog but also a loving and important member of our family – we had an incredible bond and I miss him every day.”
Barra’s story
As a volunteer coastguard in Scotland, Iain Marshall was moved by the amount of incidents taking place on the River Clyde and wanted to do something to help some of the families affected.
English Springer Spaniel Barra was born in Wales on 15 March 2010 as part of a litter from a local Police Dog. Iain saw the post online and travelled to Wales to meet him.
In 2011, after less than a year of training with Mick Swindells of Search Dogs UK, and Dave Jones of International Rescue Training Centre Wales, Barra qualified as Scotland’s first underwater sniffer dog.
Upon qualifying, the Springer Spaniel moved to his forever home in Luss, Scotland with Iain where his career began.
A year later, Iain recruited his second Springer Spaniel Eriskay in the same way and the trio made up voluntary organisation K9 Search and Recovery.
Barra worked all over the UK, including on many high-profile national investigations where desperate families personally requested him to come on board due to his esteemed reputation.
One significant example of Barra’s inspirational work is when he found the body of a missing person in the River Clyde in 2013. A 30-year-old male had been missing for three and a half weeks but had sadly passed away. Barra helped to locate him, enabling his family to come to terms with his death and allowing them to hold a funeral to celebrate his life.
After an incredible 11-year career, Barra retired in 2022 due to mobility issues and sadly, after two years enjoying retirement, Barra passed away in May 2024.
Iain shared the news on the K9 Search and Recovery Scotland’s Facebook page adding: “Barra devoted his entire life to helping others right up to the age of 13 years, which is remarkable. Barra and I had a special bond and I can’t imagine life without him.”
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 with 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 43 animals, including 12 horses and 31 dogs including Barra.