Diesel was a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois RAID assault dog employed by the French police.
[2] During the raid, which was in response to the Paris attacks, the dog had been sent in to clear rooms following a cessation of gunfire from the suspects.
[2] Following the raid, some media reports claimed that Diesel had been killed by a female suicide bomber.
[4] Diesel "was saluted for her bravery by the Paris police chiefs who told Le Parisien [...] that dog almost certainly saved her handler’s life during the raid.
[5] On 28 December, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a veterinary charity in the United Kingdom, announced that Diesel was to be posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery.