{Hero dog posthumously honored in Britain|LONDONBritish soldiers and military dogs gathered at a London army barracks Thursday to honor a fallen hero with selfless courage, nerves of steel — and four legs|11 attacks, Apollo, a New York Police Department German shepherd, received the medal on behalf of all search and rescue dogs at the sites in New York and Washington, “for tireless courage in the service of humanity.” Pigeons’ homing instinct makes them excellent messengers, and more than 200,000 served with British forces during World War II|planes bombing an Italian town occupied by British troops in October 1943, saving the lives of at least 100 Allied soldiers and many civilians|Some 32 were awarded the Dickin Medal for carrying back vital information from the frontline|Tasker’s mother, Jane Duffy, says the pair were inseparable|She’s convinced Theo died of a broken heart|Despite being seriously wounded by shrapnel, Simon returned to his rat-killing duties aboard the damaged ship, which was trapped for months in Chinese waters|Some of these animal heroes: