# Bomb-sniffing dogs sent by US to Jordan dying from poor care



## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

*IG report: US sent bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan, then they died from poor care*

  
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

A malnourished Jordanian bomb-sniffing dog named Mencey is seen in an April 2018 photo taken when a team of veterinary workers traveled from the U.S. to prevent an outbreak of insect-borne illness among U.S.-trained working dogs the State Department provided to Jordan. The 3-year-old Belgian Malinois had Leishmaniasis from sand flies and was euthanized when his kidneys failed.

By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: September 13, 2019

The U.S. government continued to provide dozens of bomb-sniffing dogs to the Kingdom of Jordan, even as the animals were dying of serious health problems and others were so poorly treated that they had “lost the will to work,” a government evaluation found.

Since 2008, at least 12 U.S.-trained explosive detection canines provided to the kingdom under an antiterrorism program died from medical problems. Others were overworked, unhealthy and forced to live in kennels with “barely existent” sanitation, including some where a deadly virus was rampant, officials said.

The “dire straits” of Jordan’s program were revealed in an evaluation of the State Department’s program by the agency’s inspector general’s office. Released this week, the report calls for the department to stop sending dogs to Jordan until a plan is in place to ensure the animals’ health and welfare.

Infrequent and inconsistent health and welfare checks on the dogs were among a range of problems plaguing the program, which has supplied over 100 dogs to six foreign countries since 2016, the report said. Other issues include a lack of policies or standards and a tendency to provide the dogs to foreign governments without agreements on how they will be used, cared for and eventually retired from service.

For more than 20 years, the State Department has provided bomb-sniffing dogs to foreign countries. But the program came under scrutiny in May 2018, nearly a year after a complaint left on an IG hotline alleged a lack of oversight, insufficient health care for the animals and poor working conditions.

The program in Jordan is by far the largest recipient of U.S.-trained dogs, but the department could not provide detailed information about programs in nine other countries which had a total of between 75 and 100 active dogs as of last September, the report said.


  
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

Athena, a U.S.-trained bomb-sniffing dog provided to Jordan, is pictured in a photo from April 2018 when a State Department contracted veterinary team found the 2-year-old Belgian Malinois severely emaciated.

The exact numbers of dogs active in those other countries — Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Oman and Thailand — were unclear because officials provided “insufficient and contradictory documentation,” the IG said. Dogs were also provided to the Dominican Republic and Afghanistan, but officials provided the IG no data on those animals and said the program “does not maintain documents related to the welfare of dogs in Afghanistan.”

In Jordan, the dogs were “required to search large numbers of vehicles without proper shelter, sanitation, and care,” officials found in a site visit to assess the country’s program in spring 2016. “The canines observed were well beyond their working years, and in need of medical care. [An official] gave several instances of canines dying from heat exhaustion within the past year.”

Heat injuries are not accidents, a veterinarian told the IG; they’re the result of negligence and improper care.

Still, the U.S. sent 20 dogs to Jordan that year, part of a total of at least 66 sent since the site visit. It later sent a pair of mentors to assist the Jordanian program in early 2017 at a cost of $500,000 per year.

But dogs have continued to suffer severe health problems that were indicative of substandard care, and little progress has been made in Jordan’s ability to care for them, the IG found.

Two of the dogs sent since early 2016 later died of health problems linked with poor working or living conditions and a third was returned to the U.S. to recover after being found severely underfed and living in a kennel covered in dirt and feces.

Jordanian authorities may be unable or unwilling provide adequate care without U.S. intervention, the IG said.

In 2018, after persistent problems, the U.S. program paid $540,000 for a veterinarian and veterinary technician to work with the Jordanians for one year.

Officials have been working to address other issues raised by the IG, including plans to send traveling veterinary teams to assess the health and training of dogs provided to foreign partner countries, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff and Amb. Nathan Sales, coordinator for counterterrorism, said in a joint written response to the IG’s findings.

The program has also taken steps to address health and welfare concerns in Jordan, the senior officials said, but declined to stop providing the dogs to Jordan. That was the only one of five IG recommendations in the report that the program resisted, citing national security and counterterrorism concerns and a 2017 mandate to prevent explosives from reaching the U.S. homeland.

Those concerns were not reason enough to continue supplying dogs without first addressing serious health and welfare concerns, the IG said.

“Canines lose their effectiveness when their quality of life is poor,” it said in response to concerns expressed by Evanoff and Sales.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-trained-bomb-sniffing-dogs-183838688.html

Here's the Report by the Office of the Inspector General about these dogs:

http://www.stateoig.gov/system/files/esp-19-06.pdf


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

More info here:

http://www.judicialwatch.org/corrup...ogs-gifted-to-arab-countries-that-abuse-them/

Also, on another story:

LINK REMOVED BY MODERATOR. This linked report was not about the Jordan dogs.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

These are dogs donated by the U.S. To other countries to aid in anti terrorism efforts. The problems started when CVC, a State Department Facility, received the contract instead of the ATF. They dropped the ball on maintaining oversight of the dogs once they were shipped overseas and were in the care of the host countries.

I ran across a similar situation in Afghanistan. 3 Mals basically living tied up outside their kennels. Their "handlers" were lazy ANP officers that just fed and watered them. The "handlers" kicked the dogs out of the air conditioned portable kennels and used them to hang out in the air conditioning while "on duty."

I met one of the dogs when Fama had a find at a border crossing. The ANP Chief asked if they could bring their dog down and see if it responded. I watched the team work. The dog walked right by the explosives. I dropped a 1/4 pound of C4 in front of the dog and it checked it out and walked by.

I talked to the Chief and he said they had 3 dogs total, but they were worthless. Germany had donated the dogs to the ANP 2 years earlier but didn't provide any training for the handlers. I set up a meeting at my FOB with the 3 dogs, their handlers, the Chief and the local ANA Captain. I had them keep their dogs in the vehicles and set up a demo with Fama doing box drills.

I then asked the ANP handlers to replicate the drill and they were obviously untrained. It turns out they offered the job of dog handler up by seniority and they just wanted an easy job. They basically had no responsibilities outside feeding these dogs.

Long story short, I brought the dogs to stay with me and trained them. We went through 9 handlers until we found 3 that actually liked dogs and wanted the job. They stayed with me for a month, training every day that I was available.

Some generous folks back home donated equipment for the teams including harnesses, leashes, muzzles, crates, Kongs, bowls, collars... It was really cool to outfit these guys. They were so proud of their dogs looking like our dogs do. They had 9 finds before I left country.

Back to the OP. It's terribly unfortunate that CVC dropped the ball maintaining oversight of these dogs. The fact is that the big money involved in working dogs sometimes draws less than scrupulous individuals into the business. The TSA had done a decent job of getting properly trained working teams into the field and maintaining oversight and guidance over the years. I'm not sure what drove the decision to change to a private contractor, but my guess would be the cost of the program.

I hope they get things straightened out and some heads roll accordingly.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I knew a few from people from Jordan, Muslims, I worked with them, nice guys. But Muslims in general see dogs as dirty animals and don't, well have laws against them. In Sharia controlled areas of London, you can't walk them. Putting highly trained working dogs in the hands of people who culturally would see it as a breech of etiquette to refuse, but who culturally do not like dogs, well, that is insane. Giving them weapons and technology to fight terrorism, I can see that, but not live critters. I mean, would you send horses to France? Or dogs to Korea? Sometimes it so frustrating.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I definitely see your point selzer!

There are a surprising number, to me anyways, of people in Iraq and Afghanistan that have pet dogs, considering their cultural proclivities.

It took a lot of effort to find handlers that would actually interact with the dogs in an enthusiastic manner and who would pet them. After failing a couple times and seeing the revulsion on the faces of the proposed handlers, I had a meeting with the Chief and explained what it takes to be a good handler. He let me talk to his men at several different stations, with my dog, and find officers that didn't have an aversion to dogs.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

selzer said:


> I knew a few from people from Jordan, Muslims, I worked with them, nice guys. But Muslims in general see dogs as dirty animals and don't, well have laws against them. In Sharia controlled areas of London, you can't walk them. Putting highly trained working dogs in the hands of people who culturally would see it as a breech of etiquette to refuse, but who culturally do not like dogs, well, that is insane. Giving them weapons and technology to fight terrorism, I can see that, but not live critters. I mean, would you send horses to France? Or dogs to Korea? Sometimes it so frustrating.


That's a bit racist, and fairly uninformed. Since I was in part raised in a Muslim household, I beg to differ. I can also name by name several that have dogs. I MAY agree that most Muslims do not keep dogs as pets.
I also know several Koreans that have dogs and I competed any number of times against members of the France's equestrian team.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Actually Selzer has it right and there is nothing RACIST about it.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Let's stop with the racism related comments. This is an official warning. No further race or religious comments please or this thread will be locked.

Thanks,

David
Forum Moderator


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

selzer said:


> Putting highly trained working dogs in the hands of people who culturally would see it as a breech of etiquette to refuse, but who culturally do not like dogs, well, that is insane.


Yup, it is, and it's all too often a nightmare for the dogs. I agree that our dogs should not be sent to these countries.

A recognition of the fact that different societies have different cultural norms about dogs is not racist.

As in any society, though, not everyone follows the cultural norms. In 2017, a Sunni Muslim Iranian soldier lost his leg because he rescued a dog trapped in a minefield, knowing full well the danger he faced in rescuing the dog. And he says he would do it again. It's especially interesting that many Iranians consider him a hero for doing this. Story here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-life-save-stray-DOG-trapped-barbed-wire.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ves-dog-hero-viral-social-media-a7512756.html

I wish this guy would immigrate to America.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

No I don’t think they should be sent to countries to be treated in such a way and not be looked after. It is important to right to your congressman.


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

This is a shame and those pictures are terrible! I see no problem in being upset that this has happened and wanting it to stop; however, there's not enough information in those articles as to WHY it's happening. Who was in charge of these animals and why didn't they take care of them? Who dropped the ball and allowed this cruelty and financial waste (a bomb dog costs $25K or so, doesn't it?) to occur? Obviously there is a missing link here, but it's irresponsible to assign blame without proof of who failed these animals, especially by simply relying on stereotypes. 

A quick Google search will show that plenty of American K-9s are also tragically abused, abandoned, and ill-treated.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

CactusWren said:


> This is a shame and those pictures are terrible! I see no problem in being upset that this has happened and wanting it to stop; however, there's not enough information in those articles as to WHY it's happening. Who was in charge of these animals and why didn't they take care of them? Who dropped the ball and allowed this cruelty and financial waste (a bomb dog costs $25K or so, doesn't it?) to occur? Obviously there is a missing link here, but it's irresponsible to assign blame without proof of who failed these animals, especially by simply relying on stereotypes.
> 
> A quick Google search will show that plenty of American K-9s are also tragically abused, abandoned, and ill-treated.


The contract for the program was picked up by CVC. I believe this is their web page, but do not know for sure.

Quote from https://www.govexec.com/management/...letting-antiterrorism-dogs-die-jordan/159785/

2016, the department established its own training program known as the Canine Validation Center. State contracted with an outside firm to provide support personnel and resources to operate and manage the program, and State assumed responsibility for conducting health and welfare checks on the dogs previously provided by ATF

It is the Canine Validation Center in Winchester Virginia. This is a State Department facility, not a private contractor as I had originally thought.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I'm trying to figure out who the "outside firm" is.

Got it. It's MSA Security.

http://www.msasecurity.net/msa-explosive-detection-canine-training-facility


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

Heartbreaking to think about how much these dogs suffered


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

CactusWren said:


> This is a shame and those pictures are terrible! I see no problem in being upset that this has happened and wanting it to stop; however, there's not enough information in those articles as to WHY it's happening. Who was in charge of these animals and why didn't they take care of them? Who dropped the ball and allowed this cruelty and financial waste (a bomb dog costs $25K or so, doesn't it?) to occur? Obviously there is a missing link here, but it's irresponsible to assign blame without proof of who failed these animals, especially by simply relying on stereotypes.
> 
> A quick Google search will show that plenty of American K-9s are also tragically abused, abandoned, and ill-treated.


Thank you. 
@ David Winners. No one wants to see animals abused or mistreated but to generalize and slam an entire culture or country or belief system is highly offensive to someone who was brought up within that belief system. 
I love my family and we all have dogs that are much adored family members.

I absolutely agree with the fact that the people responsible for this need to be held accountable and it needs to stop happening.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

More info here, including this:

"Dogs at the Jordanian Police Headquarters were overwhelmingly past their working years, CVC staff found during an April 2016 visit:

Several canines were observed to have hip dysplasia and obvious arthritis, and have lost the will to work. The majority of the K9 Teams observed were well beyond their working years. They have a minimum of twenty (20) canines that need to be retired and replaced immediately."

http://www.govexec.com/management/2...letting-antiterrorism-dogs-die-jordan/159785/

What to do? Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent an excellent September 12 letter about this to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. You can see the letter and more info here:

http://www.finance.senate.gov/chair...ntiterrorism-service-dogs-from-abuse-overseas

So now would be a good time to send an irate email about this to your representatives with a link to Grassley's letter. You can also write to Pompeo at:

The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo
Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington D.C. 20520



CactusWren said:


> A quick Google search will show that plenty of American K-9s are also tragically abused, abandoned, and ill-treated.


Sad but true.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Sabis mom said:


> Thank you.
> @ David Winners. No one wants to see animals abused or mistreated but to generalize and slam an entire culture or country or belief system is highly offensive to someone who was brought up within that belief system.
> I love my family and we all have dogs that are much adored family members.
> 
> I absolutely agree with the fact that the people responsible for this need to be held accountable and it needs to stop happening.


You are welcome. I think it is hard for us (including me) to not lump groups of people together. Stereotyping is actually human nature that takes work to avoid. Sorry if you were offended.

I agree that the people responsible for this should be held accountable. I've been working on this when I have time this morning. I have some emails out to people that should know something about what is going on internally. I'm not sure they will be able to say anything about it, but I will post on this thread if I gater any information besides what is in the reports and news pieces already linked here.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

When it says we "supply" these dogs, are we making them pay for the dogs? At the risk of stereotyping folks, people will often take care of what they value, and if the dogs are valued at 25K or 50K, then maybe they will be fed properly, worked properly, kept in sanitary conditions, and provided with veterinary care. 

Of course one can dig up some rich American that spend a small fortune on a dog that they then abused, neglected or dropped at a shelter to prove that you cannot use a stereotype.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

The dogs are provided as part of the Antiterrorism Assistance Program which is funded by the U.S.


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## Kyrielle (Jun 28, 2016)

David Winners said:


> The dogs are provided as part of the Antiterrorism Assistance Program which is funded by the U.S.


Then there's the problem. Don't ever give anything of value away for free. The recipients will treat it according to the value you assigned it (none).


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

selzer said:


> When it says we "supply" these dogs, are we making them pay for the dogs?


Nope. The dogs are total freebies. You and I and all the other American taxpayers pay for the dogs and their training and pay for them to get sent to h***holes. And get this:

"The three dogs were among the dozens sent to Jordan that became ill from preventable conditions. According to the IG, the Jordanian's own working dogs were not provided with proper care, handlers were not performing daily, routine hands-on physical assessments of their dogs, and that staff were just throwing food on the floor instead of giving the dogs kibble in bowls, as recommended. *The Jordanian staff was not aware that the State Department [America] was not responsible for the care of all dogs in the Jordanian Royal Guard's employ, the IG found, and were “upset” upon learning that State would not be providing preventative medications [like vaccinations] and care. Although Jordanian officials "are 'interested' in providing their canines the best care, the commanders and veterinary staff are not financially committed to providing or enforcing a dedicated, long-term preventative program," the IG found."
*
http://www.govexec.com/management/2...letting-antiterrorism-dogs-die-jordan/159785/


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Kyrielle said:


> Then there's the problem. Don't ever give anything of value away for free. The recipients will treat it according to the value you assigned it (none).


This gets proven every day.
But more then that, dog handlers need to have a LOVE of dogs. They cannot be selected randomly based on who you have handy. David spoke told earlier in the thread about selecting and training handlers, it's a task. Anytime you make something into a job, it looses appeal. Forcing people to perform daily care and training tasks for animals that they have no real love of to start with is destined to fail.
Consider the simple chores and training we as mere dog lovers do daily. Now imagine being told to do all that for an animal you did not ask for, want or particularly like.
I only worked private sector as a dog handler. The work and training and effort that I went through just to be considered was crazy. The work and training and testing to hold my spot on the team was completely insane. There were moments when I questioned my own sanity. And with all that screening we STILL had handlers who failed miserably, who abused the dogs, who abandoned them. 
Simply sending dogs to other countries and saying here ya go is not enough.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah, if they have to pay the equivalent to a year's pay for each dog, get on a waiting list, go through an exhaustive training program, that they need to apply for and pay for, and then have quarterly check-ups to ensure the animals remain in decent conditions, then maybe when they are on their own with the dogs, they will treat them with the care and do right by them. 

They have to see the value and believe in the program. I wouldn't send any more dogs there.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

selzer said:


> I wouldn't send any more dogs there.


That's what the Inspector General recommended--that we stop sending dogs there. But the State Department is blowing this off and continuing to send the dogs there.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

They simply wouldn't do it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

We need un-like buttons, to show that we have read what you said and don't like it. That doesn't mean it isn't true. It doesn't mean we don't like you. But seeing dogs in that condition and knowing that more dogs will be sent there to suffer like these is unsupportable.


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

It's ironic, because if the program is cut, the State Department is "soft on terrorism." But by allowing it to continue under these conditions, it's participating in animal cruelty and sentencing good dogs to a terrible life (and probably not accomplishing much, either). 

There's a clear lesson here about forcing things on people who don't want them, too, and calling it "aid."


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

If proper care can not be given to the dogs they should not be sent regardless if the dogs are free or not. 

Awhile back there were some issues with an American company who supplied military dogs to Kuwait and there was a mass euthanasia. A lot of different stories going back and forth. The pictures though were unforgettable.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

I like to think I have a pretty open mind when it comes to personal values/beliefs. I know from first hand experience that not all cultures/regions value dogs as pets, companions, or working animals. Some cultures see them as nuisances and see them the way we view rodents or roaches. Some see them as a food source. There is nothing wrong with either of those views, they just happen to differ with my views. But when we are actually training and providing these dogs to areas where they are intentionally being neglected and abused because we sent them, and didn’t provide even more for them like full time handlers and vets, that’s when it becomes a problem for me personally. And knowing the conditions and abuse of these animals at the hand of their “handlers” and continuing to send even more of them, that’s a HUGE problem. Im so sickened by this. And it has nothing to do with where they are being sent, or who is handling them. They could be sent to Jesus Christ himself and I would still have an issue with it. Do I blame the people receiving the dogs? Not entirely. They are cruel and unworthy of having these dogs, but the real blame lies without OUR government, coming from our soil.

And I’ll stop here. I’ll get into politics if I continue, and that’s not allowed here. I will, however small and pointless it seems, send out plenty of letters to the right officials tomorrow.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

Jchrest said:


> I will, however small and pointless it seems, send out plenty of letters to the right officials tomorrow.


It's not small and it's not pointless. If they get enough letters and a big enough stink to deal with, things can change. And the timing is perfect, given Grassley's letter to Pompeo a few days ago.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Jchrest said:


> I like to think I have a pretty open mind when it comes to personal values/beliefs. I know from first hand experience that not all cultures/regions value dogs as pets, companions, or working animals. Some cultures see them as nuisances and see them the way we view rodents or roaches. Some see them as a food source. There is nothing wrong with either of those views, they just happen to differ with my views. But when we are actually training and providing these dogs to areas where they are intentionally being neglected and abused because we sent them, and didn’t provide even more for them like full time handlers and vets, that’s when it becomes a problem for me personally. And knowing the conditions and abuse of these animals at the hand of their “handlers” and continuing to send even more of them, that’s a HUGE problem. Im so sickened by this. And it has nothing to do with where they are being sent, or who is handling them. They could be sent to Jesus Christ himself and I would still have an issue with it. Do I blame the people receiving the dogs? Not entirely. They are cruel and unworthy of having these dogs, but the real blame lies without OUR government, coming from our soil.
> 
> And I’ll stop here. I’ll get into politics if I continue, and that’s not allowed here. I will, however small and pointless it seems, send out plenty of letters to the right officials tomorrow.


Politics when it refers directly to dogs has always been allowed on this site, though sometimes the powers that be have shut them down. 

Seeing dogs that we are sending, that we are funding, that we are a part of in this condition is horrendous and must be spoken of. 

I am glad you are going to write and David is going to press forward and try to do something for these dogs. 

I think the American government should see the condition of these dogs as a complete insult and should act as such.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Nothing small in sending letters to your congressman. I have written and I hope any that reads this does. Are they just dumping dogs on these people or are there provisions being ignored by the care givers of the dogs due to cost, inexperience, or cruelty either way a letter should be written.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

If that happened here, the dog owner would be arrested for animal abuse and cruelty. I hope it is stopped.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

https://www.tactical****.com/eastern-securities-slaughters-40-working-dogs/

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/state-dept-moves-to-save-bomb-sniffing-dogs-in-kuwait


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

Thanks for the info about the 2016 murder of the Kuwait explosive detection dogs. This was an absolute horror. More info here, but be forewarned the pics are a nightmare:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...firm-ended-animal-rights-activists-claim.html

More sickening details here. These dogs were horribly abused.

http://nypost.com/2016/06/24/ex-workers-say-company-abused-bomb-sniffing-dogs-to-death/


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

LuvShepherds said:


> If that happened here, the dog owner would be arrested for animal abuse and cruelty. I hope it is stopped.


It does happen here. And it is brushed under the rug and hushed up. There are issues with police K9’s, mishandling, abuse, neglect. There are unreported deaths of K9’s that were not injured or killed in the line of duty, rather at training facilities or handlers homes. Retired dogs being beaten, starved. I’m trying to find the documentary I watched. I was in tears the whole time, and I’m not a crier. I’ll post the link when I find it, this was a few years ago.

As for being able to talk about politics if it concerns dogs, I’m sure my personal political views wouldn’t be met well. And would likely shut down a thread more of us need to see, so I’ll rant to DH instead. He has the knack down of looking really interested. Lol


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

This isn't about the dogs the US sends to Jordan, but it's part of the same problem, which just goes on and on in one form or another. These are US military TEDD dogs:

"The 13 dogs Dean Henderson and Jamie Solis took from K2 were, in fact, treated like outdated equipment. On the night of Feb. 10, 2014, the two men drove up to Currituck Kennels at Mt. Hope in Chester, Va., the dogs sliding around the back of their truck the whole way.

“Half of the dogs were on human Prozac and Xanax,” kennel master Greg Meredith tells The Post. “They were emaciated. They all had PTSD. One had an injury to his tail from shrapnel.”

The men told Meredith they were ex-Secret Service, had just bought the dogs for $30,000 each, and had a contract to sell them to the Panamanian government for twice that amount.

Seventeen months went by. Meredith had spent nearly $150,000 of his own money caring for the dogs and was broke. He pressed Henderson for help. 

“Destroy the dogs” was the reply."

https://nypost.com/2016/02/14/troops-betrayed-as-army-dumps-hundreds-of-heroic-war-dogs/


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

Jchrest said:


> It does happen here. And it is brushed under the rug and hushed up. There are issues with police K9’s, mishandling, abuse, neglect. There are unreported deaths of K9’s that were not injured or killed in the line of duty, rather at training facilities or handlers homes. Retired dogs being beaten, starved.


It does happen, it's a problem, and it needs to be fixed. The difference between the US and Jordan is that in the US there are laws that can be enforced if there is a big enough public outcry, and the public has the freedom to voice that outcry. But God help the K9's that need our help and don't get it because the public never finds out what is happening to them.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

You know, the US is a large country, and every little town big enough for a police department has had a police dog, or has one. Or even half of them. It is a lot dogs. And I don't know, but between the Army, the National Guard, and the Marines, there are probably thousands of canines. 

Dogs are going to die. Some of them will be in the line of duty. Some of them are going to be from accidents that have nothing to do with their job. Some will die in training. Some soldiers die in training and in situations not related to combat. That there are some dogs that have been neglected, abused, or killed here, does not make it ok that dogs that were provided by our government to help other countries protect themselves from terrorist attacks, were treated so badly. 

Years ago, I heard that war dogs sent to Vietnam were left as equipment at the end of the war. There are, have been tragedies and terrible decisions, and abuses for years and by our government. All the more reason to have a public outcry and stop what is happening here. That bad things have happened is no excuse to turn our eyes from the bad things happening now. That we cannot keep every one of thousands of dogs across the country and in the services free of every form of non-job related accident and injury is not a reason for us to turn a blind eye at the conditions of dogs our country supplied to other countries.


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

selzer said:


> That there are some dogs that have been neglected, abused, or killed here, does not make it ok that dogs that were provided by our government to help other countries protect themselves from terrorist attacks, were treated so badly.


Agreed, but I just want to clarify--because I posted that K9s here in America are also sometimes mistreated--that my reason for posting that was to caution people not to jump to conclusions and rely on stereotypes about as opposed to finding out FACTS as to what actually happened, and who actually committed this negligence.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I am guilty. I did not read everything.

Did anyone mention the Leishmaniasis? That is what killed the dog pictured on the first post. I don't know a whole lot about it, except it is spread by sand flies. There are three different types. At least one of them is fatal, if left untreated. Since it had affected the organs of the dog that was euthanized, I'd say he had that one.

I vaguely remember a FB friend from Portugal talking about a friend's dog who had contracted the disease. He said that treatment was very expensive. That was a few years back. Perhaps things have improved. I know nothing of diagnosis, or prevention for the disease. Maybe one of you smart people know more.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I used a topical essential oil on Fama when we were deployed. I got it from CarmsPack. It smelled of eucalyptus and had some other stuff in it too. You could see insects actively avoiding her.


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## JewelLaverne (Aug 2, 2018)

I remember seeing an article in my newsfeed a few months ago about this situation, and then happened on this thread today. Does anyone know if anything has been done about this situation? A quick Google search only turned up the articles from Sept. Is it worth sending letters about it now? Or, have we stopped sending the dogs and are working on helping the dogs already there now?
Hopefully, this thread hasn’t completely fallen off everyone’s radar by now.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

JewelLaverne said:


> I remember seeing an article in my newsfeed a few months ago about this situation, and then happened on this thread today. Does anyone know if anything has been done about this situation? A quick Google search only turned up the articles from Sept. Is it worth sending letters about it now? Or, have we stopped sending the dogs and are working on helping the dogs already there now?
> Hopefully, this thread hasn’t completely fallen off everyone’s radar by now.


I have been looking and can't find out what--if anything--was done for these poor dogs. I am going to contact Senator Chuck Grassley's office to see if they know anything about this:

http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/qa-watchdog-us-bomb-sniffing-dogs

Senator Grassley wrote an excellent letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about these dogs demanding some answers:

http://www.finance.senate.gov/chair...ntiterrorism-service-dogs-from-abuse-overseas

Given the major political flaps in Washington, I don't know whether anyone is paying attention to the dogs right now. But the timing is very good to send a polite, non-political letter to President Trump about this, since Conan the hero Mali who helped nail Baghdadi would have been horribly abused and possibly killed by neglect if she had been sent to Jordan. And I think President Trump genuinely likes dogs.


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## JonRob (Nov 5, 2017)

Finally, some good news (after more bad news) about these poor dogs:

"The Department of State has decided to temporarily stop sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan and Egypt after multiple investigative reports revealed that many dogs had died as a result of poor treatment while others were living in unhealthy conditions."

Details here:

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-...9-12?utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_medium=referral

https://www.stateoig.gov/system/files/esp-20-02.pdf

Which goes to show how important it is to make a stink, to raise questions, and not trust the assurances by some military folks who claim that la la la everything is just fine with military working dogs these days.

Thanks to all the folks who wrote to politicians about this. You made a difference.


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