US stops sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan and Egypt as 7 die
- Deployed canines suffering due to issues like heatstroke and poisoning
- Animals were sent to foreign partners without agreements outlining standards of care and inadequate follow-up checks on their well-being
The US State Department said on Monday it has stopped sending explosive-detecting dogs to Jordan and Egypt over concerns of deaths of deployed dogs from causes like heatstroke and poisoning.
The decision came after the State Department’s Office of Inspector General identified in September the deaths of two dogs sent to Jordan, the largest recipient of the dogs. A second report released last Friday put the total deaths at seven.
Some 135 dogs are in the Anti-terrorism Assistance Programme, which helps eight countries with border and aviation security.
Dogs already working in Jordan and Egypt will remain there while US authorities demand measures to improve the animals’ conditions and handling, a State Department official told reporters.
Prompted by a hotline complaint after the September report, the inspector general found that two more dogs sent to Jordan had died, one of heatstroke and another of poisoning from insecticide sprayed in or near the kennel.
