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Arizona Worker Fired For Euthanizing War Hero Dog

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Kaitlyn
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« on: November 20, 2010, 05:33:21 pm »

Arizona Worker Fired For Euthanizing War Hero Dog

| 11/19/10 08:57 PM | AP



FLORENCE, Ariz. — A county employee in Arizona has been fired after mistakenly euthanizing a dog that saved soldiers in Afghanistan and lived through explosions in the war-torn country, officials announced Friday.

The unidentified Pinal County animal control employee euthanized the female shepherd mix on Monday and was immediately placed on administrative leave.

The dog named Target had been brought to the Phoenix area in August by Sgt. Terry Young after his tour of duty.

Target frightened a suicide bomber inside a military base and potentially saved dozens of soldiers' lives, Young said. He said the dog was treated like royalty from then on at the base at Dand Patan, near the Pakistan border.

The dog escaped from the family's back yard last Friday. Target didn't have a tag or microchip and eventually wound up at the county pound.

Last Friday night, Young found Target's picture on a Web site used by county dog catchers to help owners track lost pets. Young figured the shelter in Casa Grande was closed for the night and weekend.

He showed up at the facility to claim his dog on Monday, only to find out she was dead.

County officials say the employee mistakenly took the dog out of its pen Monday morning and euthanized it.

"I just can't believe that something like this would happen to such a good dog," Young told The Arizona Republic, which said the soldier and his family will get Target's cremated remains.

« Last Edit: November 20, 2010, 05:43:43 pm by Kaitlyn » Report Spam   Logged

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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2010, 05:48:04 pm »

Afghan Hero Dog Put Down by Mistake in Arizona

1 day ago




This ought to outrage dog lovers all over the free world.

A stray dog, adopted by an American soldier after helping prevent a suicide bomber from inflicting mass casualties at a U.S. barracks in Afghanistan, has been euthanized by mistake in Arizona, the New York Times reported.

Target, a shepherd mix, was one celebrated mutt before her untimely death on Monday, the newspaper said. The hero dog appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and other major media outlets after she was brought to the United States with another canine, Rufus, and adopted by Sgt. Terry Young, an Army medic who witnessed the incident in Paktia Province in February.

Afghan hero dog, Target, before she was mistakenly put downAccording to witnesses, Target, Rufus and a third dog intercepted a suicide bomber at the entrance to a barracks in the Dand Aw Patan district near the Pakistani border. Their snarling, snapping and barking apparently caused the militant to detonate his bomb prematurely, killing himself and one of the dogs. None of the soldiers were killed.

Target and Rufus were subsequently shipped to America by a charity and adopted. But last weekend, Target, who appeared acclimated to her new surroundings, escaped from Young's backyard in Florence, Ariz. She was captured and taken to the Pinal County animal control shelter. Young spotted her photo online and paid a fee to recover her. But by the time he got to the shelter to pick her up, she had been put to sleep by lethal injection -- due to a mix-up with another dog.

"My four year-old keeps saying, 'Daddy, bring Target home. Daddy, get the poison out,'" Young told the Times."Obviously, at first there was extreme anger and horror. Now that a couple of days have passed, the anger has been replaced by sorrow."

Hit with criticism, the county ordered an investigation of the mistake and put the unidentified woman who euthanized the dog on administrative leave. But it was too late for Target.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/19/afghan-hero-dog-put-down-by-mistake-in-arizona/
« Last Edit: November 20, 2010, 05:49:17 pm by Kaitlyn » Report Spam   Logged
Kaitlyn
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« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2010, 05:51:10 pm »

Target, the dog who survived Afghan war and melted hearts on Oprah, mistakenly put down at Arizona animal shelter

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:56 AM on 17th November 2010

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As a stray on the war-ravaged streets of Afghanistan, she had been shot by the Taliban and blasted by explosives. In fact, the plucky German Shepherd mix cheated death so often that U.S. soldiers named her Target.

She had even become a life-saving hero by sniffing out a suicide bomber on a military base. But, sadly, these dangers paled against the threat from a clerical error at a U.S. dog pound. An employee at the Pinal County facility was today on administrative leave after euthanizing the shepherd mix by mistake.

'When it comes to euthanizing an animal, there are some clear-cut procedures to follow,' said Ruth Stalter, director of the Animal Care And Control centre.
'Based on my preliminary investigation, our employee did not follow those procedures.'

Scroll down for video report
Target befriended American soldiers in Afghanistan, and helped scare a suicide bomber who showed up at a base wearing 25 lbs of explosives, barking at and biting the terrorist



Target befriended American soldiers in Afghanistan, and helped scare a suicide bomber who showed up at a base wearing 25 lbs of explosives, barking at and biting the terrorist


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330088/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-shelter.html#ixzz15ryf0WIR
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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2010, 05:52:55 pm »


Target was hailed a hero and her injuries were treated by medics as though she was a soldier. She lived, came to live in Arizona and appeared on Oprah with her owner Sgt. Young

Sgt. Terry Young, the owner of the dog, told The Arizona Republic, 'I just can't believe that something like this would happen to such a good dog.'

Target and two other dogs, Rufus and Sasha, were mutts who befriended soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, who began to feed them and treated the canines as pets on the military base.

One night in February a suicide bomber came to the base in the middle of the night, wearing 25 pounds of explosives and intent on killing Americans.

The three dogs frightened, barked at and bit the bomber, scaring him and waking the sleeping soldiers in the process. Deterred, the terrorist detonated himself outside instead of coming in.

The lives of 50 soldiers were potentially spared because of the dogs' actions.

Sasha was killed, but Target and Rufus lived. Medics treated the injured dogs like soldiers and the two were saved.

Only five soldiers were injured in the bombing and all recovered

Sgt Young said the dogs was treated like royalty from then on at the base at Dand Patan, near the Pakistan border.

With the help of aid groups, Sgt Young brought Target to the San Tan Valley area south-east of Phoenix in August, when he returned home from his tour of duty. Rufus went to live with another soldier in Georgia.

Target was featured on 'Oprah' in September in a show about amazing animals.

On Friday of last week the dog escaped from the family's backyard. Sgt Young then put out notices and contacted TV stations that did reports on the missing dog.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330088/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-shelter.html#ixzz15rzlybUn
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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2010, 05:53:32 pm »



Sgt Young's 4-year-old son (seen here when Target arrived from Afghanistan) has been devastated by the pet's death and asked his dad to take out the poison and bring the beloved animal home

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330088/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-shelter.html#ixzz15rzvy9KZ
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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2010, 05:54:34 pm »


She wore a special pink camouflage collar

A neighbour found Target wandering later that day and put her in his backyard and called the shelter. The dog did not have a microchip or tag.

On Friday night, Sgt Young found Target's picture on a website used by Pinal County's dog catchers to help owners track lost pets. He thought the shelter was closed for the night and weekend.

He showed up at the shelter in Casa Grande to claim his dog on Monday, only to find out she was dead.

County officials say the employee mistakenly took the dog out of its pen Monday morning and euthanized it.

'My four-year-old son just can't understand what is going on with Target and keeps asking me to get the poison out of her and bring her home. They don't want her to go be with God yet,' a teary Sgt Young told the local CBS TV station.

The Arizona Republic said Sgt Young and his family will get the dog's cremated remains.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330088/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-shelter.html#ixzz15s0BVsGw
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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2010, 05:58:11 pm »

End these shitty "humane" shelters.  If you don't have room for an animal: don't take it in!  It's not your right to decide who lives and dies. This is murder! We're in the 21st Century, get rid of this **** barbarism when it comes to dogs and cats.  They have rights, too!

And Arizona, as usual:  you suck.
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Kaitlyn
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« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2010, 05:59:56 pm »

If shelters were not in the habit of murdering animals on a daily basis for absolutely no reason, TARGET WOULD HAVE BEEN ALIVE TODAY -- the problem is with the shelters and their leadership and the policies they implement -- these ridiculous and unconscionable and archaic practices have been in effect for decades and no one stops and stands up and speaks for these animals -- the right policy would be to take care of the animal while in the shelter's care; above all, the interests of the animal comes first -- if you genuinely care for and about animals, this is what you do. Why? Because the animal has a RIGHT TO LIVE. When you don't give a damn, you murder them and call it "euthanasia," and then blame everyone out there for making you insert the needle. This is not only injustice, this is insanity and a tragedy. CHANGE YOUR POLICIES AND START CARING FOR AND PROTECTING ANIMALS LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO!

- ms, ny, usa, 19/11/2010 02:08


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330088/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-shelter.html#ixzz15s1VeosB
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Carissa Hoffer-Halliet
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« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2010, 11:04:11 pm »

Bastards, but that's America for you - kill first, ask questions later.
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