An explosives detection dog that spent more than a year missing in action in Afghanistan has received the RSPCA's purple cross award at the Australian War Memorial.
Sarbi served with Australian troops in Afghanistan but became separated from her handler during an attack in 2008.
War Memorial spokeswoman Carol Cartwright says it is only the second time the award has honoured an animal in war.
"The only two that are war-related are for Murphy, Simpson's donkey, and for all of the donkeys from World War I, and now this one for Sarbi," she said.
"The award is an RSPCA award and it has gone to dogs that have saved people in house fires and heart attacks and things like that."
Ms Cartwright says Sarbi was found 14 months after she went missing at an isolated patrol base.
"An American saw an Afghan with this particular dog and thought 'that looks a bit like the Australian dog', so the microchip was tested and yes indeed it was Sarbi," she said.
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