17 Facts About Sarbi

Sarbi was an Australian special forces explosives detection dog that spent almost 14 months missing in action in Afghanistan having disappeared during an ambush on 2 September 2008.

Sarbi was later rediscovered by an American soldier, and was reunited with Australian forces pending repatriation to Australia.

Sarbi was a female black Labrador Retriever Newfoundland cross trained in explosives detection.

Sarbi had previously been used by the Incident Response Regiment during the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia, before being deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Australian Army's Operation Slipper.

When she disappeared, Sarbi was in her second tour of duty in Afghanistan, having previously been deployed in 2007.

Sarbi went missing after a joint Australian, American and Afghan vehicle convoy was ambushed by insurgents on 2 September 2008 during the Battle of Khaz Oruzgan.

Sarbi reportedly disappeared 'in the heat of battle' and was said by a Defence spokesperson to have vanished when a rocket exploded near her during the ambush.

The ambush in which Sarbi went missing was the same action in which SASR Trooper Mark Donaldson became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, the first VC awarded to an Australian since 1969.

Sarbi was declared MIA in September 2008, and while missing, the Special Operations Task Group had made repeated attempts to find out what had become of her.

Sarbi was rediscovered in November 2009 by an American soldier in north-eastern Oruzgan province, when he noticed Sarbi accompanying a local man.

Trooper Donaldson stands out there as an Australian hero, and now his dog Sarbi back is home in one piece and a genuinely nice pooch as well.

Sarbi was to undergo a period of quarantine, and be assessed for exposure to diseases, before a return date to Australia could be set.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Sarbi had passed initial veterinary checks and would be retired on her return to Australia.

Sarbi became a member of the Clayfield-Toombul Sub-Branch of the RSL.

Sarbi died as a result of a brain tumour on 27 March 2015.

Sarbi's preserved remains were donated to the Australian War Memorial and placed on display in October 2016.

On 5 April 2011, Sarbi was awarded an RSPCA Purple Cross Award at the Australian War Memorial.