17/11/2010
A hero dog that saved soldiers from a suicide bomb was accidentally put to death by an animal shelter.
Target, a shepherd mix, ran loose from owner Sergeant Terry Young, who brought her back from Afghanistan.
The two-year-old, which appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show, was one of three dogs that saved soldiers' lives by attacking a suicide bomber.
Sgt Young said: "I just can't believe this would happen to such a good dog."
The shelter, in Phoenix, Arizona, had mistaken Target for a stray. It has apologised and suspended a worker.
Here's the real heart breaker. Young's four-year-old daughter is really taking the death of Target very hard.
"The 4-year-old is really taking it hard right now," Young said. "She's saying we need to get the poison out of [Target] so she can come home. She can't grasp the idea that she's gone."
I have blogged about Target before in the past. Target was adopted by US soldiers who saved the dog from being a target for Afghan troops. Target has been shot in the leg before our soldiers saved him.
Personally, I am not in favor of shelters that put down good dogs. While I understand the population and costs involved, I support no-kill shelters like Canines and Cats in Ozark, MO.
