Reece gets teeth into fundraising

6:12am Wednesday 7th May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A soldier serving in Afghanistan was savaged by a military dog and paid for the privilege!

Lieutenant Richard Campbell, from Ilkley, pitted himself against Reece the German Shepherd in a stunt to raise money for soldiers wounded in military campaigns.

After putting on the protective gear - a heavily-padded sumo-style bite suit' and helmet - he contributed to the Help For Heroes charity before attempting to beat the snarling beast in a race.

But the odds were against Lieutenant Campbell, 24, and he was hauled to the floor within seconds.

Following the event, the former Ilkley Grammar School pupil said: "You just feel this awesome, powerful animal on your arm; once he has got a hold he is taking you down."

The intruder begins his run with a head start, while at the same time the army handler advances and then releases the dog.

It is then only a matter of time before the dog catches its victim'.

The Military Working Dogs Section in Afghanistan hopes to raise hundreds of pounds through the Beat The Dog competition.

Lieutenant Campbell is currently serving in Afghanistan as part of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps alongside the Afghan National Army.

It is his job to ensure British and Afghan soldiers have all the equipment, ammunition, food and water they need to conduct operations.

Lieutenant Campbell, who is the supply officer for the Operational Liaison and Mentoring Teams and whose family are from Addingham, said: "I took the Beat The Dog challenge for two reasons - firstly for charity, Help For Heroes is really important to all of us out here, and secondly because it is not every day you get to do something so different."

The winner of the competition, which runs for the duration of 16 Air Assault Brigade's summer tour, is the soldier who gets the furthest before being dragged to the ground.

The dog section, based in Camp Bastion, provides handlers and dogs which work in Helmand Province, Kandahar and Kabul.

Sergeant Major Frank Holmes, who is responsible for the training of all military dogs in Afghanistan, said the event was a novel way of raising money for charity, as well as providing important training for the dogs. He said: "We are a small unit with troops dotted all over the place. To be able to combine this charity event with serious training is vital."

Help For Heroes was set up to raise £6million for servicemen and women wounded in war.