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: Canine war heroes mistreated by U.S. Army: Pentagon report
(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 saviors.
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.
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Update: Inspector general: Army mistreated retired service dogs (The Hill)
WNU Editor: I love dogs. This story makes my blood boil.
