Thursday, November 18, 2010
Target (photo: AP)
Target, a female shepherd-mix dog, survived suicide bombings in Afghanistan, but couldn’t avoid death at an animal shelter in Arizona, where she was mistakenly euthanized.
Only last month Target was honored at the eighth annual Hero Awards by the Friends of Animal Care and Control of Maricopa County, for her actions at an American base in Afghanistan. There, Target helped identify an insurgent who had made his way onto the base with the intention of blowing himself up inside one of the buildings. But the dog, along with two others, barked at the bomber, prompting him to detonate his explosives just outside the facility.
Five soldiers were injured by the blast, but they and others credited Target and the other dogs with saving their lives.
Sergeant Terry Young said he would have been fatally injured by shrapnel had it not been for Target, who was not an official military-trained canine, but a stray living on the base.
When Young returned home, he brought Target with him.
The dog got out of Young’s backyard late last week and was picked up by animal control. When he went to retrieve Target on Monday, he was told she had been put to sleep, even though she was not scheduled for euthanizing.
The employee responsible has been put on administrative leave, pending a formal investigation. The shelter’s director said procedures were not followed correctly, and she personally apologized to Young and his family for the mistake.
“I am heartsick over this,” said Animal Care and Control Director Ruth Stalter. “This is unacceptable and no family should be deprived of their companion because procedures were not followed.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Soldier's Dog Put Down by Mistake (by Richard Ruelas, Arizona Republic)
County Employee Placed on Leave after Hero War Dog Euthanized (InMaricopa.com)
4-Legged Afghanistan Hero Headlines Valley Awards Ceremony (by Richard Ruelas, Arizona Republic)
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