Blitz dog's medal sold for £24,250

A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out scores of survivors in rubble of the Blitz was sold at auction today for £24,250.

Auctioneers said the buyer chose to remain anonymous.

The sale price was £10,000 higher than the estimate.

The Dickin Medal, Britain's highest honor for animals, was awarded to a dog named Rip who was credited with finding more than 100 people trapped by German bomb damage in World War II.

Rip had been found abandoned in an air raid shelter and was adopted by E. King, an Air Raid Precaution Warden.

The dog had no rescue training, said the animal charity PDSA.

Maria Dickin, who established the medal program, decorated Rip in 1945. Among the 62 animals awarded the Dickin Medal are dogs, pigeons, horses and a cat.