I just found out what the Gov't did to Shephards in Iraq.. Did you know?

Question

I work at an Animal Shelter, and a few of the girls keep up with Government stuff.. The US Government actually brought over over 300 German Shephards to Iraq and used them as mine sniffing dogs and bomb dogs.. They put them out on mine fields to see if they'd get blown up..

..As if that wasen't enough... They took the remaining 126 dogs, lined them up, and shot them to death because they didn't want them coming back to America.

I feel so bad about this, my boyfriend is in the Navy and I do try to support him, but with stuff like this behind our backs, I'm just not happy about it..

I teared up when they told me this.. Did anybody else know about it? They hid it well...

I'm not sure if it is true, I sort of want to know- that's just what they told me, and I really hated to think it was true... I'm not trying to be a snotty political-type person, I'm just concerned, that's all..

Answer 1

Do you realize how expensive ONE trained military dog is? They spend THOUSANDS of dollars on one trained dog. Even an untrained working GSD with the potential to be a sentry or detection dog costs over a thousand dollars. Unfortunately, mine and bomb detection is a dangerous line of work...for humans and dogs alike. Some dogs do die or become so badly injured that the military's best option is to put them down. But they are not shooting dogs that are worth thousands of dollars or blowing them up for fun. I don't know where "the girls" got this information...but I am certain that it is not true and that someone is just trying to stir up anti-government sentiments (not that they should need a rumor like that...there are plenty of true things for the public to be upset about). War dogs were not brought home from Vietnam and there was a lot of public criticism. And that was in an era where the troops had even fewer opportunities to communicate with loved ones back in the states. But even in Vietnam, most of the dogs were turned over to Vietnamese handlers rather than being put down. Dog handlers form a very close bond with their dogs. If the government was needlessly destroying these dogs you bet we'd hear about it.

Answer 2

And would you prefer they send young 20-something year old kids out to walk around and find those mines? What is the choice? Dogs are dogs and humans are humans. I'm sorry, but the choice is simple even if you don't like it.
---------------------------------------
And I wanted to assure everyone.... Muslims don't eat dogs

you know, there is some footage of Hitler with his dogs and Ava (sp) from WW2. It's amazing how kind he was to the dogs. That is not an excuse for his actions, but just an interesting fact that people, the most vile people, have affection for dogs. There is something about dogs that brings it out in them. If dogs are left behind, it doesn't mean they will be hurt or eaten. Could bad things happen to them? Yes. But it doesn't necessarily mean it will. There is a very good chance that the people in that nation will adopt them.

Answer 3

Dogs have been used for minefield and bomb sniffing work for a long time. That is what they are trained for.

It is send in a dog, or send in our troops to get blown up. I am sure some dogs have been injured or killed on the job, but most of them do not get blown up because their sense of smell is so good, and they weigh less than a person.

As far as shooting the dogs, I would really have to see proof. Those dogs are expensive to train, and I am sure they could still be working over there.

Answer 4

First let me address the "boyfriend in the Navy" comment. Do not TRY to support him, SUPPORT him with all your heart, mind and soul, period. Never let your feelings about dogs get in the way about how you feel about someone you love.
As far as dogs in Iraq, or any theater of war, yes, there are dogs there working as explosives/mine field detection dogs. These dogs work in CONJUNCTION with a human handler, not alone. The dog detects, but the handler READS the dog's alert. That is why it is called a K-9 unit.
When it comes to dogs being left behind, I am not going to touch that, just remember that Billions of dollars worth of equipment is also left behind after we leave too instead of being transferred back to CONUS.

Answer 5

Do you have any info to back this up?

Sure, dogs are sent out into the minefields to search for mines; it's what they are trained for. Sure beats sending out some 18 y/o soldier to do the same job. I'm all for "animal rights", but those German Shepherds are trained for that job, so one less person has to put their life on the line.

As far as "lining them up and shooting them", I don't know where you got your information (and I'm not saying it isn't true) but those dogs cost thousands of dollars to train (and a flight back home isn't all that expensive on a military plane).

Answer 6

Haven't heard about this, but with the overly biased media nowadays, I don't believe everything I hear on the news. I'm engaged to a Marine and have friends in the service and I hear a lot about what really goes on over there, and it's not what you hear on TV. What you hear on TV is almost always either a 1/2 truth, exageration or only 1/2 the story.

Answer 7

I don't know what to believe anymore,but I do know that hundreds of dogs were left in Vietnam,and rather than have their dogs tortured and eaten by the Vietcong,many American soldiers chose to kill their dogs themselves, either by euthanasia or shooting.I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again,but I think it would be senseless,as they are still in need of those dogs,and no dog who serves in war should be left behind,for they are soldiers,too.

http://www.vspa.com/war-dogs-left-behind.htm

Answer 8

Would it possible for you to get concrete evidence of this...such as a web site? If this is true, it is very disturbing , that goes with out saying, and I am sure there would be a lot of people that would have something to say about it.

Answer 9

where did you find out? facts or someone saying stuff to get us all rilled up?