AUSTRALIA'S dogs of war are much more than man's best friend. To a Digger they are lifesavers. 
This year our combat canines will be singled out for honour by the RSL, with a special poppy on Remembrance Day featuring a photo of Sarbi, Australia's most decorated military dog.
Sarbi was awarded our highest military honour for dogs, the War Dog Operational Medal, as well as the RSPCA's Purple Cross.
The newfoundland-labrador retriever went missing when insurgents ambushed a joint Australian/US/Afghan military mission in 2008.
Sarbi spent 14 months as a Taliban prisoner of war before being rescued by a US soldier and returned to Australia.Sarbi died, aged 12, of natural causes earlier this year.