Target, Afghanistan War Dog, KILLED; Pound Mistakenly Euthanizes Canine Hero

FLORENCE, Ariz. — A dog named Target that lived through explosions in war-torn Afghanistan couldn't survive a brief stay at an Arizona animal shelter.

An unidentified employee at the Pinal County facility was placed on administrative leave after euthanizing the female shepherd mix by mistake, county Animal Care and Control officials said Monday.

"When it comes to euthanizing an animal, there are some clear-cut procedures to follow," Ruth Stalter, the county animal control director, said in a statement. "Based on my preliminary investigation, our employee did not follow those procedures."

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 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.

Young brought Target to the San Tan Valley area southeast of Phoenix in August, when he returned home from his tour of duty.

The dog escaped from the family's back yard Friday. Young put out online notices and contacted TV stations that did reports on the missing hero dog.

A neighbor found Target wandering later Friday, put her in his back yard and called the pound. The dog did not have a microchip or tag.

On Friday night, Young found Target's picture on a website used by Pinal County's dog catchers to help owners track lost pets. Young figured 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.

The Republic said Young and his family will get Target's cremated remains.

Comments

[Blogonia]

06:44 PM on 11/29/2010

normally, I think the ridiculously high number of deaths of innocent animals in U.S. shelters is not the fault of the shelters, but of the fickle and irresponsible, lazy public who just don't want to be bothered with responsibility they aren't legally forced to accept. And, indeed, this guy KNEW where the dog was. Why the heck he didn't rush there immediately, call them immediately, send someone else, ANYthing......I don't know. Why he didn't get her microchipped, I don't know. He's not very bright, or responsible.
But, all that said, euthanizing a perfectly healthy dog after having it only over the weekend???? are you kidding me? About 15 years ago, when a woman gave Atlanta Humane Society volunteers a tour of Fulton County Animal Control, she told us animals are kept only three days before being euthanized. I asked about folks who might be out of town, or looking in the wrong places, or who are single and can't take off work for more than an hour (it takes 40 minutes just to get to that part of Atlanta from some parts of the county) during animal control's open hours. She told me that anyone who doesn't pick up their dog in 3 days, doesn't care. I know that isn't true, as I've found dogs myself whose owners were searching for them desperately. Had I not refused to turn them over to the shelter, and found the owners myself, they would be dead.

[Blogonia]

06:55 PM on 11/29/2010

I just read a different article about this that says Sgt. Young DID call the shelter before Monday, and even paid the fees for Target before going there the following Monday. So, I RETRACT what I said about him. The staff at this shelter don't seem to recognize that death is forever. Although there are NO animals who deserve to be euthanized, the "wrong" dog was euthanized that day. There should always be many checks in place before executing animals, as there are no "do overs" in death.

[Tally01]

12:40 AM on 11/21/2010

For being an Army Sergeant, Terry Young was pretty irresponsible and dense. God, the dog saved his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers, and he just leaves her in the pound over the weekend. Not to mention that he didn't even put an ID tag on her.

You know, I think Terry DID see the shelter's hours listed (they are open Saturdays). However, for whatever reason (too busy, too lazy?) he decided not to claim Target as soon as he could. But now that his dog is dead and the media is on it, he comes up with the sweet excuse of being "unaware." I call BS on this.

[maxiemom]

01:49 PM on 11/20/2010

I have come to believe that most animal control officers are either incompetent or evil (the ones in this city are evil). This story makes me sick and is a perfect example of why we need no kill shelters throughout the country; this should never have happened.

Every dog should have a microchip and certainly a tag. However, the neighbor should have made an effort to find out whose dog that was instead of calling animal control, which is too often a death sentence. I've found many of my neighbors dogs without knowing who they belonged to: animal control should ALWAYS be the last resort.

The only reason the officer who murdered this dog was fired is that the dog was a war hero. I've seen too many cases where officers are let off the hook when they commit crimes against helpless dogs (and cats); even with an outraged public.. It's disgusting.

If you find a stray dog, try to find its owner in your neighborhood before you EVER consider calling those fiends. This was not an isolated incident, but an all too common occurrence throughout this country.

[hardboildwonder]

07:40 PM on 11/19/2010

The double tragedy in this story is that this brave animal was given a second chance at life in America, but his new owners never saw fit to microchip or tag him. If Target was microchipped, he would be alive today. This family were given the privilege of ownership of a very special animal. An animal who had already had a traumatic life as an Afghan stray, and was likely to still try to roam, or escape. They should have made every possible effort to safeguard their pet.

Not microchipping your dog, is like not putting your child in a carseat. It's a risk you should never take. And why would they leave an animal in a shelter over the weekend until Monday morning? A shelter is not a place to board your dog. If Target was part of their family, why didn't they go to collect him as soon as they located him?

Unfortunately Target lost his life at the hands of careless humans: his owners and the animal shelter. He deserved better.

[MemoFromTurner]

02:58 AM on 11/19/2010

This tragedy has multiple layers: the mindless execution of a healthy, heroic and beautiful animal, and the negligence of the dog's owner (no microchip or ID tag). Ultimately, this cruel story is sadly emblematic of how this country treats its human combat veterans.

RIP Target, you served with selflessness and great distinction, and you will live forever in the many hearts you have touched.

[Mariya Smet]

09:35 PM on 11/18/2010

If shelters were not in the habit of murdering animals for absolutely no reason, TARGET WOULD HAVE BEEN ALIVE TODA -the problem is with the shelters & their leadership & the policies they implement-these ridiculous & unconscionable & 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; the shelter then takes the steps to put the word out and find out if anyone has lost their animal; if no one responds, then efforts should be made to have the animal adopted and/or transferred to another shelter that has progressive and good and positive policies in place that prioritizes the well-being of the animals OR to a sanctuary where the animal resides until adopted out, and if not, lives at his forever-home at the sanctuary -- all of this requires a little bit of work but is well worth it and 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!

[Alal]

07:52 PM on 11/18/2010

I just saw the wonderful story about Target on Oprah not too long ago - it was so touching. I'm really sad about this. My heart goes out to Sgt. Young and his family. I bet this happens more than we realize.

[Deeanna Harrington]

02:49 PM on 11/18/2010

It's an unfitting end to a dog who gave so much as mankind's best friend and to our country. We hope that Target is having the time of her life over the rainbow bridge -- she is certainly deserving of every moment of it.

dog owners everywhere please microchip your dogs! It's not a foolproof solution to the "fool" who put Target down but hopefully it can help to prevent more of these tragic mistakes.

If anyone would like to see Target on Oprah, you can find it via our trackback:
http://www.pups-seeking-homes.com/blog/home/entry/war_hero_dog_accidently_euthanized

Bless you Target,
Deeanna

http://www.puppies-seeking-homes.com
http://www.puppies-seeking-homes.com/blog

[GirlUsingBrain]

02:25 PM on 11/18/2010

This leaves me speechless and overwhelmingly sad. I can't imagine how this must feel.

Support no kill shelters in your communities.

Spay and neuter your pets and help prevent pet overpopulation.

[hot lava]

11:44 PM on 11/17/2010

I hope this incident sparks an investigation of the shelter and its policies. I volunteered at the local shelter (pound) for four months, and found that often staff and managers do not follow correct euthanasia policy.It is the responsibility of the person in charge to ensure that all know the policies, and that persons not following those policies will be fired. This incident probably isn't the first time an animal was euthanized without proper waiting time. This manager should bear the responsibility and be replaced.

And, to those respondents who think microchipping is the answer, I suggest you take your microchipped animal to the local shelter, have them scan it, and see if they can locate your name. I microchip all my dogs. One of them was given to a friend in another city. I asked him to be sure to change the contact information on the chip. He had his vet scan the chip, only to find that NO INFORMATION was recorded on that chip. I went to the shelter where I had had the dog chipped and was told that my information was recorded on a database for that particular shelter only and unless the vet searched that specific database, he wouldn't find my information. Apparently, there are many databases and unless your animal's chip is registered on all of them, chances are if your pet is lost, they won't be able to locate you.

This is a terrible and completely preventable tragedy!

[Nam68Korea51]

06:04 PM on 11/17/2010

Anyone that has worked with or handled a military dog knows the deep feeling that can occur between the troops and their friend. Here we have an untrained dog that has saved American lives, is brought back to the U.S. and is killed by the absolute stupidity of an employee and those that oversee the animal pound. What should be done? Have the pound create a canine war memorial, erected in a place of prominence so that all may pay tribute to a soldier's best friend. It won't bring Target back but it will keep his memory alive.

[JOHNSPEAKS]

05:25 PM on 11/17/2010

WHY ARE WE AS A SOCIETY MORE CONCERNED WITH A DOG BEING PUT DOWN THEN OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS BEING PUT DOWN BY -SUICIDES- THAT EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED! MAYBE A DOG IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A -VETERAN- AND IF THIS IS TRUE -GOD HELP US-? BECAUSE THE MENTAL HEALTH INDUSTRY IS ONE BIG -PONZI SCHEME- THAT SPREADS FEAR BY ALLOWING -SUICIDES- THAT COULD EASILY COULD BE STOPPED FOR LITTLE OR NO EXPENSE!

[TzouliadisWhine]

07:20 PM on 11/17/2010

How sad and pathetic you are. Target was a brave solider. She was a veteran. You are incorrect. Many Vietnam vets will never be ok and that's the fault of the US government who sent them to do ethnic cleansing not the fault of the average American or service dog. And yes, Target is a hero and a butcher like Sgt. Calley who should have been jailed for life is not. Not all veterans are heroes but Target is. Rest in peace all veternas who acted heroically.

[GirlUsingBrain]

02:26 PM on 11/18/2010

More like John YELLS. I do not know who you are talking about in your post.

[Tulka2]

02:49 PM on 11/17/2010

It costs thirty to fifty dollars to microchip your beloved dog.  I know that's not chump change, but consider the alternative.

[hukkahukkabirninglove]

02:49 PM on 11/17/2010

It's kind of a stretch to blame this incident on the WHOLE STATE OF ARIZONA! Give me a break, this isn't the official policy of the (usually misguided) state governemment, Pinal County, or it's dog pound. It was the result of an employee's mistake, that employee has been suspended and will be disciplined or fired.

We have no kill shelters here--they're the result of political pressure or because people have donated time and money to establish them.

The owner bears a good deal of responsibility for this, tho. No tag, no chip, and the dog escaped from the yard. Yes, it's not reasonable to expect that a dog that gets out on a Friday is killed on the following Monday, but other bad things like animal kidnappers, car/pet encounters, and predators (we have wildcats, coyotes, javalinas*, poisonous snakes, scorpions, and spiders here) CAN and do happen. If the dog's an escape artist, then locking it in the garage or leaving it in the house is necessary.

I'm sympathetic with the soldier's loss, but we pet owners really do need to accept responsibility and do everything we can to protect our pets. It's part of the covenant we make when we take these creatures into our lives.

BTW, my dog was 4 months old when she got her chip--at the Washoe (Reno) Animal Shelter.

*Javalinas are wild, new world pigs or peccaries. And like coyotes, they can gang up on even large dogs and kill them.

[Mariya Smet]

11:28 PM on 11/18/2010

Dear Hukkahukka -- it IS the fault of the leadership and the policies in place at these shelters -- read above some of the posts -- most people love and care for animals and expect the same from their animal shelters -- when those in charge abuse and kill animals, instead of caring for and protecting them, we need to stop it -- the dogs and cats are given no choice and no one is there to stop it -- we people think that such atrocities cannot possibly take place inside of shelters, but they do and TARGET and dogs like Target pay the price of death every day and this is wrong, it is unethical, immoral, INSANE -- shelters are supposed to care for and protect animals, what's more, they get paid for it -- but look what they're doing instead? They must change their value system and philosophy in order to become a true no-kill organization -- trust me, the animals will appreciate it and so will the people who love and respect them.

[Max Shaw]

02:12 PM on 11/17/2010

Way to go Arizona..They probably thought the dog snuck through a fence from Mexico..So not cool. I feel nothing but sadness and empathy for Sgt. Young..I know what its like to lose a beloved pet to circumstances beyond ones' control...

[immortal]

02:51 PM on 11/17/2010

No Doubt. X2