IG Report: US Trains Bomb-Sniffing K9s for Arab Nation That Brutally Neglects Them to Death
Hardworking bomb-sniffing dogs are trained in America using taxpayer money, but are often gifted to an Arab nation that forces them to endure so much abuse that the canines die.
The sickening revelations are part of a September State Department Inspector General report that investigated K9s given to Jordan. The report found that at least 10 working dogs died in an 8-year period.
The Antiterrorism Assistance Explosive Detection Canine Program trains and provides dogs to partner nations to curb terrorism and provide local forces with equipment and tactics they would otherwise not have access to.
Countries selected to participate in the program include Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and others.
While dogs sent to most countries were found to be in good condition (even slightly overweight in some cases), those sent to Jordan fared much worse.
The abuse detailed in the report is nauseating.
Multiple dogs provided by the U.S. program were found to be extremely malnourished. Working K9s require a much higher calorie intake and nutrition than non-working dogs, and it was obvious that these dogs were starved. Disease was found to have killed some of the animals.
Some dogs were found to be living in deplorable conditions, with fur matted from feces and mud. Kennel sanitation was described as “barely existent.”
Parasites were also a problem on dogs given to Jordan. Engorged ticks were found on several of the working animals, and the size of the bloodsuckers indicated they had been attached to the dogs for days.
One of the dogs was found to have several parasite-transmitted diseases, including one that has no known cure.
Disease outbreaks from parasites were common enough that the U.S. was forced to send flea and tick collars to the Jordan kennels.
Despite the poor conditions, these dogs were expected to work grueling hours with no shelter.
Several of the dogs were worked so intensely in the desert sun that they died from heat exhaustion.
One vet that worked with the program was so concerned, he recommended that “on-the-ground oversight should be required for Jordan or the canines would not receive proper care.”
The report is an eye-opening look into how animals trained and paid for by the American taxpayer are being treated overseas.
Despite the abuse, the report makes it clear that the United States will not stop providing working dogs to Jordan.
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