Canine war heroes mistreated by U.S. Army - Pentagon report

By Scot Paltrow

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team 3-1 CAV take a break with their explosives sniffer dog during a major search operation for weapons and insurgents, in a brickyard near the city of Narhwan, about 30km (18 miles) west of Baghdad October 12, 2007. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - They made up a corps of bomb-sniffing dogs that accompanied brigade combat teams on potentially lethal missions, sniffing out roadside bombs in Afghanistan and saving human lives.

 

In return for their combat service, the U.S. Army mistreated these canine heroes when they were discharged from the military, the Defense Department’s Inspector General’s Office said in a report issued on March 1.

 

An investigation was started after soldiers who had handled the dogs complained about the fate of their four-legged saviours.

 

Army personnel who handled them said that once the dogs returned to the United States, some were left in kennels for up to 11 months, mistreated through lack of care and attention, and others may have been put down, according to the report. No screening was done of people who wanted to adopt the dogs.

 

Several soldiers searched for and rescued their dogs from Army kennels, the report said.

 

Army spokesmen did not respond to multiple telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach former soldiers who had issued complaints containing accusations of mistreatment of dogs with which they had worked.

 

The dogs served in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2014. The report faulted the Army for ignoring multiple Pentagon rules concerning the handling of dogs serving in the military.

 

“The Army did not use the DOD Working Dog Management system, as required by the Joint Military Working Dog Instruction and Army Regulation 190-12,” the Inspector General said in its report.

 

The report also said that the Army improperly hired a private contractor to provide the dogs, breaking a rule that requires obtaining military dogs from the Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron, responsible for teaching and distributing new active-duty dogs to all of the military services.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-03

Nothing new about military bureaucrats causing problems for the animals they used during conflict. After the WW1 conflict in the middle east, the army wanted to hand over horses to the Egyptians rather than return them to the home countries. Some soldiers put their horses down rather than consign them to a fate worse than death.

 

No matter how dedicated the troops are, the bureaucracy always lets them down. I can't say what I really think about the bureaucracy on here though.

In the 1990s a contingent from Australia was sent to a tin pot african country as part of a UN team. It was primarily a battalion of infantry plus a small detachment of armourers, medics, and 2 sappers with explosive detection dogs. Upon cessation of the mission and in preparation to go home the commander (Then a LtCol later a General) ordered the dogs be put down to the horror of the 2 handlers. The senior of the 2 got to a telephone and rang his girlfriend who was working in the office of a well known Australian current affairs program in Sydney. He told her they were going to shoot his dog.

 

The girl told her bosses and the next night they ran a piece about brave military dogs and ambushed the Defence Minister with "Any truth in the rumour that the Australian Army is going to destroy perfectly useful and healthy animals to avoid quarantine costs" The Minister who knew nothing of it saw a potential political disaster and replied. "Absolutely not. Those dogs will come home when they served quarantine conditions". A signal was sent to Africa saying the Minister would personally sack anyone responsible for the death of those dogs.

 

With that a sapper and Lance Corporal and 2 dogs were sent to the British Army quarantine station in England for 6 months. The girlfriend was posted to London by the TV Network and the 3 of them had a great time . When they got back to Sydney they retired the dogs and is permissable adopted them.  I met one of them years later. He said the British Army gave them a married quarter and the girlfriend moved in and the other soldier soon found a girlfriend and she move in. They took it in turns to work and feed the dogs and basically spent the whole time playing sport and drinking at the boozer.

1 hour ago, ronrat said:

In the 1990s a contingent from Australia was sent to a tin pot african country as part of a UN team. It was primarily a battalion of infantry plus a small detachment of armourers, medics, and 2 sappers with explosive detection dogs. Upon cessation of the mission and in preparation to go home the commander (Then a LtCol later a General) ordered the dogs be put down to the horror of the 2 handlers. The senior of the 2 got to a telephone and rang his girlfriend who was working in the office of a well known Australian current affairs program in Sydney. He told her they were going to shoot his dog.

 

The girl told her bosses and the next night they ran a piece about brave military dogs and ambushed the Defence Minister with "Any truth in the rumour that the Australian Army is going to destroy perfectly useful and healthy animals to avoid quarantine costs" The Minister who knew nothing of it saw a potential political disaster and replied. "Absolutely not. Those dogs will come home when they served quarantine conditions". A signal was sent to Africa saying the Minister would personally sack anyone responsible for the death of those dogs.

 

With that a sapper and Lance Corporal and 2 dogs were sent to the British Army quarantine station in England for 6 months. The girlfriend was posted to London by the TV Network and the 3 of them had a great time . When they got back to Sydney they retired the dogs and is permissable adopted them.  I met one of them years later. He said the British Army gave them a married quarter and the girlfriend moved in and the other soldier soon found a girlfriend and she move in. They took it in turns to work and feed the dogs and basically spent the whole time playing sport and drinking at the boozer.

Great story!!!! 

No different to how their soldiers are treated when they get back home.

The army treats it's veterans like dogs, so why would they treat the dogs differently? (Being cynical, of course.)

3 hours ago, HerbalEd said:

The army treats it's veterans like dogs, so why would they treat the dogs differently? (Being cynical, of course.)

I don't know what army you are referring to, but the one I know treated the serving soldiers like dogs and completely ignores them after they get out. Being treated like a dog after leaving would be to acknowledge they exist.

Unless one was an officer or senior NCO of course.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I don't know what army you are referring to, but the one I know treated the serving soldiers like dogs and completely ignores them after they get out. Being treated like a dog after leaving would be to acknowledge they exist.

Unless one was an officer or senior NCO of course.

All my former employers ignore me after I left them. 

A based-on-a-true-story docu-drama movie was made about such a thing..."Megan Leavey". Watched it on the plane. Worth a look!