I’m parsing this story just enough to acknowledge that killing two guard dogs was not Prince William’s decision, and I actually doubt whether William was even told about the decision to put the dogs down. That being said, I still feel like William should get some of the blame, maybe? The basic story is that while William was doing his RAF job in Anglesey, the British secret service had a full security operation protecting William and Kate (and Prince George). That security operation involved guard dogs. And now that William and Kate are moving out of Wales, the dogs were put down. Because I guess when dogs serve the secret service loyally for years, that’s how they are repaid for their service. FOR THE LOVE OF!!!!
The Ministry of Defence has defended a decision to put down two guard dogs used to protect the Duke of Cambridge, days after he left his military base. The Sun reported the dogs were put down following Prince William’s final shift as a search-and-rescue pilot at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, last week.
The MoD said it always tried to rehome dogs but that it had not been possible in this case. The Dogs Trust charity said dogs were not “kit that can be decommissioned”.
The patrol dogs were said to have been part of a unit providing extra security at RAF Valley and were not providing sole protection for the duke. Belgian shepherd Brus was at the end of his working life and Blade, a German shepherd, had “behavioural issues”, said the MoD.
The duke started his training at RAF Valley in January 2009 and graduated as a search-and-rescue pilot in September 2010. He announced he was to leave the military to focus on royal duties and charity work after carrying out his final operational shift on 10 September this year.
An MoD spokesman said: “It is true two dogs have been put down, a couple of days after. It was entirely coincidental.”
He added that Blade, who also “had a record of veterinary issues”, could not be reassigned to other duties.
The spokesman said: “The department’s policy is to rehome all military working dogs at the end of their service life wherever practicable. Regrettably, however, there are occasions when they have to be put down. This action is only ever taken as a last resort. Unfortunately in this case the dogs were unsuitable for rehoming or alternative duties and so sadly, for the animals’ welfare, they had to be put down.”
The Dogs Trust said the news would sadden dog lovers and dogs were “not pieces of disposable kit that can be decommissioned at the end of their ‘useful’ military life”.
It acknowledged that not all service dogs could be rehomed but said there were alternatives for healthy dogs, such as deployment to another role or retirement to a specialist handler.
“Although it is impossible for Dogs Trust to speculate about the decisions made about Brus and Blade, we would have hoped that the loyalty the dogs had shown their handlers during their working life was reciprocated at the time of their retirement,” said the Trust, which describes itself as the UK’s largest dog rehoming charity.
Seriously, who does this? This would be the equivalent of a bomb-sniffing dog who had worked for years in the field being put down just because there were no more bombs in that particular area. Service dogs are extremely loyal creatures and I find it hard to believe that one of them – who had been properly trained and been on ‘active duty’ just days beforehand – would have behavioral issues so severe that the only option was to put him down. Those poor dogs!
So, should William get any part of the blame? Probably not. As I said, I doubt he even knew about this. But he could definitely pitch one of his infamous hissy fits and demand that all dogs serving on royal protection detail are allowed to “retire” to a nice home rather than be killed for their loyal service.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
That’s horrible.
And proof that Will & Kate are NOT down to earth, regular folk. Who does that?! Meanwhile their personal dog is living the high life with chew toys that were stuffed gifts meant for baby George.
So much poor William doesn’t know – doesn’t know his dogs were killed, his mother was killed … doesn’t know much and doesn’t care.
My thoughts exactly! This is unbelievable – so the dogs had “behavioral” or “veterinary issues” but were able to satisfactorily complete their job without being put down until AFTER they were no longer needed? Bollocks! If this man is to be King, he does have a responsibility to know actual details beyond Middleton life, so yes, I feel it is fair to expect that he should have been briefed on this issue. It was HIS security detail, was it not?
You’re right. The fact that they waited until the MOMENT W&K were out of there is very telling. What veterinary and behavioural issues could be so bad they warranted death without even an attempt to fix them. If they were so behaviourally messed up, was the public ever put in danger? This is total BS and I hope William comes forward and clears his name of any knowledge of this. This whole situation is disgusting.
I call BS too. Do they think we’re stupid enough to believe that two dogs with “veterinary issues” would be on active duty? Veterinary issues would be medical problems.
And how they decide an animal can’t be rehomed after just a few days is beyond me. I’m appalled. If they have aggression issues then I don’t know how they could have been on active duty there either.
Basically, it stinks. Poor dogs.
Yes!!! This!!! Well said Original N
Original N: THAT EXACTLY.
This is how they reward a loyal service dog? SICK. Animals are NOT disposable items, like Kleenex!
Prince Will better be shit-canning the insensitive ass on his TAX-PAYER funded “Private Security Team” that made this call. I thought all the Royals were horsey-loving, hunting dog-cuddling, stalking Fox and shit types.
I’ve always objected to the euphemism “put down”. Tell it like it is, they were killed.
I’ve noticed many more places saying ‘euthanised’ now, which is more accurate.
I spend too much time watching animal programmes.
I’m disgusted by this story! What is wrong with these people!
Perhaps because in the case of those of us who have had to ‘put animals down’ because of longterm illness, it feels kinder than ‘You murdered your cat with cancer.’ I dunno.
Disgusting! And the excuse they couldnt be rehomed? What about having them live where they had always lived & allowed to die a natural death. Surely there was enough space for them at the palace!
Next thing we know William & Kate will appear at some animal shelter & pretend they are all about helping animals to cover up this atrocity – but we wont be buying it.
If we do see them at a shelter they will visit once for an hour and never be there again. So sad for so many reasons.
What’s stupid is people believing this story and then blaming William!
His family are huge dog lovers and like most English people love their dogs beyond even humans! No way he knew this, I expect he’s quite horrified!
This,as usual, is total character assassination and an excuse for gossipy people to throw shade on the Royals!
Most British serving dogs are revered and looked after and found good homes! I am assuming that there was a severe problem with anti-social behaviour that meant re-housing them was next to impossible!
Liza Jane, I agree. If the dogs were rehomed and turned out to be anti-social or violent, the Royal-haters would be equally rabid about Will being to blame. There’s just no pleasing some people.
I don’t buy this story. Ya’ll are right. English folks love love love dogs!
This is very upsetting that the decision was made to end these two dogs life without sending them to places that are equipped to handle dogs of this nature. They are taught to become domesticated. If then, they cannot be then it would be agreed to put them down. I would think William’s love of animals would have halted their deaths until another source could of been found for them. I am very put out with him over this matter. It wasn’t right.
O_O
And finding another solution? Giving them a new home, somewhere quiet in the country? Re-train them?
Poor doggies.
…ummmmm…change of topic…ever notice William increasingly resembles Sir James Goldsmith… interesting… eh…
I’m thoroughly convinced that Diana was really Sir James’s daughter.
Ugh ugh ugh that is just so beyond awful (im a crazy dog lady so this just hits hard)
QQ, same here. I participate in too many dog rescues and fostering to not know there was a better, gentler way to handle this. This story is appalling and completely sickens me. Thanks a lot, Kaiser, I’ll be spending the rest of the day trying to forget this story.
There’s a special place in heaven for people who rescue animals.
NcMagnolia Im a Rescue mommy too!! Qqbeans in Instagram so you can see my sexy sassy fur babies and your ugly feelings will melt! ( i know i just had to look at their pic Lol)
Awww….hugs, ladies! Animals are so deserving of our love and care. Let’s all just forget that we read this post, UGH.
Me, too. Hurts my heart and makes me feel ill. 🙁
What do we expect from a family that still supports fox hunting? They dont give a crap about animals except maybe the queens Corgies & their polo horses! sick!
why the f-k couldn’t they take the dogs with them, obvs. they would still be good guard dogs. why couldn’t one of the guards take the dog home and allow them to live out the rest of their lives peacefully..
well, this just put me in a bad mood, bullsh-t.
I know right?
This is an awful, awful story.
That’s what I was thinking. If they have been trained for security detail, why couldn’t they be reassigned to another base or wherever the Cambridges are living. That’s brutal and cruel.
So horrible. I can’t believe what people do to animals. It’s a shame.
The dogs were NOT a part of William’s personal protection. They were a part of the security on base lprovided by the RAF to the entire base.
I have 3 dogs…I understand that some dogs might have behavioral issues that would make them completely unsuitable for life in a regular home, but like Kaiser says…how can two dogs who were on active duty – and at least one of which was getting ready to “retire” – suddenly be deemed dangerous and in need of being put down?
I am so thankful I am not the only that noticed the discrepancy and is asking questions!
NOT COOL!
Personally, I would be devastated if I found out that dogs assigned to protect me were put down 5 minutes after they were taken off duty. If they were in good enough health to do their job up to now, why were they suddenly deemed too old/decrepit/unfit for work?
Shame.
The Independent has a better context with some numbers:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ministry-of-defence-put-down-288-military-dogs-in-three-years-8826818.html
“288 dogs were put down by the MoD from January 2010 to June this year. Among those humanely killed, 81 were because of age, 61 due to osteoarthritis and 33 were related to dangerous temperament”
Not sure about the other 100-and-odd…
Am I reading it wrong? What does “of those humanely killed” mean? Are they saying that not all of the dogs they euthanized were humanely killed? Or are they using “humanely killed” as a euphemism for euthanization? It could be given the circumstance, I’m reading a meaning into their phrasing that isn’t there, but if they’re defending their position, they should consider better word choice and phrasing.
Regardless, I agree with other commentors that it is incomprehensible to me that a dog who had been on active duty would suddenly have behavioral issues that would preclude re-homing. If he’d had behavioral issues, he would have been pulled off duty long before. And the other dog who had “outlived his usefulness”… this is the worst for me. A dog who served his country faithfully and loyally. Who asked for nothing in return. Put down because he was old. This hurts my heart. Dogs do things for us because we ask them to. Because they want to make us happy. To please us. For no other reason. After a life of serving people, it is beyond tragic and horrible to put them down when they can no longer perform a certain job.
It’s a euphemism.
But I agree. Many of these dogs were used as IED sniffers in Afghanistan, for heavens sakes. To be euthanised for illness, I find perfectly fine. But otherwise?
Sadly this post is just one of many, a lot of PD and military organizations do this to long serving and heroic dogs, who are at the end of their tours, NOT their lives, but their tours. They aren’t even attempted to be rehomed. They did it with horses also. It wasn’t cost effective to bring them back home, so they were just left where they lay. This is a sad, unjust fact of life for service animals. Mostly these euthanasias occur on the down low, very far from the public eye. I hope this story brings this pathetic shameful practice to the forefront of public discourse and it will be made to stop.
And to play devils advocate, let’s take the military’s story at face value….what’s an old, sick, and UNSTABLE dog doing amongst the public protecting royalty? Not sure if I would be more upset if I were Wills and Kate and had those dogs around me, or a British taxpayer on this one….
They new to much, thats why.
That’s disgusting.
How horrible. 🙁 Unless they had serious medical issues, I don’t understand why they couldn’t have been rehomed.
We have a SAR dog, and we put a lot of time and money into his training. He really is my third child, and I can’t imagine just putting him down after he gets to an age he can’t do his work any longer. I don’t know if these guard dogs stay with their owners when they’re off duty, but as his trainer, I have an extremely close relationship with my boy. He pretty much picks up on cues instantly because we’ve been working together so long. It’s just heartbreaking to hear of this happening. They devote so much to helping others, and this is how they are treated. Pathetic! 🙁
That’s actually the part tha surprises me. I know here in the US when a dog is used in a working capacity they tend to have extremely close relationships withe their handler. They’re not ‘pets’ per se, but I’m surprised the dogs didn’t end up with their handlers.
I know. I love our boy so much. After all the time we’ve spent together, I couldn’t imagine not wanting him after his work is finished. He’s a part of our family.
He’s far from an attack dog (though his breed is typically used as guard dogs), but he’s our family pet until he’s “on”. He’s a playful, goofy, fun loving, constantly licking, ball fetching, huge lapdog until he has to work. Then, he gets very serious and does his job like the pro he is. He really is astonishing, and we’re so lucky to have him in our lives!
My mom is a k9 officer for a police dept. When her dog retired a couple of years ago, he retired with her. He just passed about a month ago from a stroke.
@Nemesis All working dogs should be so lucky! 🙂
Thankfully, there’s no question with our dog. He’s a volunteer, and he is our family pet. We’d been interested in the program and helping our area, but it seemed like finding puppies to do the job was next to impossible. He was gotten as a family pet, but he picked up on hide and seek games fast as a baby. That led to us trying tracking. Again, it’s like he was born for his. Now, he does air scent and ground tracking. We’ve considered adding cadaver, but I’m not sure *I* can handle that one. If he ever gets to the point to where he seems miserable, we can easily stop. Right now, he seems to revel in his daily exercises and occasional work, and he gets rewarded well regardless of the outcome on searches (both with love and treats 🙂 ).
It’s a a big story here today. Mostly because it’s what the military do to approximately half the dogs they retire.
I give William a pass, it’s doubtful he knew about this prior to it happening. But I wonder how he feels today. It would be good if he would speak out and try to help stop this happening in the future.
Half?? Ugh. As awful as this is, maybe it will put pressure on them to change their policies (probably not, but we can hope).
I agree he should address the issue, but I’m sure he won’t.
Agree, AllyUK. They were not HIS dogs. But if he speaks up about it he will get blamed. He’s prolly bummed like the rest of us.
Belle
I can’t really see how he’d get blamed if he addressed this issue. I can see how people will question if he knew anything by him keeping silent.
Personally, I think he may have known dogs get retired by death. He probably got briefed at some point over his security details. Now if he comes forward now to stop killing these dogs that were healthy enough to guard him and rather retire them to loving homes that would be good.
Terrible.
Poor, poor, poor dogs.
Sorry but I do not believe those lame-O excuses for a minute.
William looks like the Douche-duke to me. I wonder if he even likes dogs when there is no one to take a picture.
Agree 100%.
Completely agree. Sand, terrible and cruel.
That… just makes me nauseous. For a dog (especially one with ANY training) to be truly ‘unhomeable’ is nearly impossible. It can take time and a lot of work but considering what they DO, they are rather worth it. Sadly, that fact was likely WHY no one bothered.
And before anyone suggests that, as these were dogs likely to be trained for aggression, and therefor unable to be turned into ‘just pets’, let me put this out there. My uncle, back in his cop days, arrested a hard core drug dealer who, after being arrested so many times (and becoming a known check up on with his parole agent) decided to stop carrying guns at all times, and instead just get two of the most vicious dogs he could at his side 24/7. Dogs not being something that would instantly violate his parole if found with him. He tortured them constantly – in addition to setting them on folks, he used them in dog fights, starved, every horrible thing a human could do to a dog, these dogs endured. When he was arrested, the general view was, as much as it sucked – only safe thing to do was put the dogs down.
Except one… my uncle couldn’t get her eyes out of his head. It took him almost a month of sleeping on the concrete at the vets kennel for her to allow him to even touch her. Another steady 6 months of his (and eventually the rest of the family – but us kids only at about 4 months because WE had to be trained to be safe with her) slowly teaching her not all humans are evil vile pieces of crap and she was safe at last, but in the end, Suzie became the baby in the family and THE most gentle, well tempered love muffin you could be around. It’s almost impossible to find a dog totally unsaveable.
But it IS possible to have humans be too damn lazy to do it. And since I rather doubt the prince’s guard dogs were exposed to daily torture, beatings, starvation and pit fights… I rather think the time it would take to get them retrained to be a safe family member would be shorter then Suzie’s was. This seriously sucks.
Your uncle sounds like an amazing person. I’m glad he didn’t give up on Suzie and gave her a chance. 🙂
AMEN!
I teared up reading that. <3
“For a dog (especially one with ANY training) to be truly ‘unhomeable’ is nearly impossible.”
This statement is ridiculously false. There are large dogs with unstable temperaments who are not safe with other animals. There are not sufficient numbers of knowledgeable able bodied humans who live without other animals or children.
A dog with a bite history is also a legal liability. If you re-home a dog that later bites someone, and it can be proven that you knew the dog had bitten before, you can be sued.
I’m an animal lover who has worked with dog, cat and rabbit rescue. I do temperament evaluations for a local dog rescue. I have helped find homes for dogs the shelter deemed dangerous and wanted to euthanize. But not every dog can be safely homed.
Is it possible to get a dog too far gone? I suppose. But that being said, I’ve worked with shelters and rescues myself and honestly haven’t found one yet. The only time we’re had to go with the euthanize option has been with animals too badly physically damaged for it to be humane to keep them alive. Worked with fight dogs (worse are the baiter dogs – IE the ones that are there to be chewed on and encourage the aggressive tendencies of the fighters), wild pack dogs, etc. There are dogs that need families, dogs that need one solitary owner. Dogs who should never be around kids, dogs who will be bullied by a budgie with a strong personality.
When you work in a situation where you have 50 dogs that all need care, homes, retraining, etc FAST – there is often a sad but true need to triage the one who can be saved the fastest and homed the easiest and in those cases sometimes a dog with behavior issues has to be sacrificed to make sure the dozen that can be trained all are given homes. That being said, when the luxury of working one on one with an animal is there, there is time and space to take care of them – I’ll stand by my statement of almost all dogs are saveable. Just takes more time then, sadly, most dogs can be given. And that is in NO WAY AT ALL a knock at your rescue work. I work from home. Always have had my own ability to schedule my jobs, my time, etc and therefore have a freedom that few people get, let alone have to devote to ONE dog. I’m betting when you worked with dogs – you were dealing with several at a time, and had to do what was best for them all, and sometimes that means the highstrung biter who goes nuts around: other dogs, people, cats, cars, leaves scuttling by, etc has to be euthanized so the other half dozen are all safely homed. I’ve been spoiled with the luxury of, when it has come to it, to follow my uncles example and sleep on the floor in a kennel for as long as it takes for the dog to decide to see if I won’t hurt it. That’s pretty dang unusual – but with that luxury has come, at least this far, the honest statement of having not met yet a dog that couldn’t, barring massive health issues, be retamed and trained.
And I think that beyond a shadow of ANY doubt in regards to Will’s dogs – if the animals were viewed as ‘safe enough’ to be put into a security detail around the future king of England (and let’s face it – a prince being attacked by a dog would be a press nightmare) then they could have, with not all THAT much time, be retrained AND more importantly, an appropriate match of a home found. Effort it reads like they didn’t even bother with.
All THAT being said, and even if we disagree a bit – I DO want to say a huge thank you. Anyone who does volunteer work is an amazing person in my book, and the fact you include rabbits in that? AWESOME HUMAN BEING! I raised rabbits for years (Netherland Dwarves mostly) and every Easter I get a bit crazily cranky when I see folks buy ‘the cute widdle bunny’ but as soon as it’s not so ‘widdle’ they have the ~genius~ idea that, since rabbits are wild animals too, they can just let it go out in the country, right? GRRRRR. Thanks for working towards finding loving homes for ALL types of pets!
@Jenna – Re: Rabbits – Im totally w/you, regarding people’s complete idiocy regarding small (& not so small) animals like rabbits. Most of the pet stores I’ve been in will put up signs every year around Easter, letting customers know that rabbits (of any sort/size) will NOT be sold until (such & such a date, sometime after Easter), bc of people’s (awfully common) tendency of using them as Easter basket ‘accessories’ for children, only to not realize or care that there’s work involved in keeping them, that many breeds DO get decently large, or everyone just plain loses interest once they’ve gotten through all the chocolate eggs. The shelters end up full of bunnies, & even other small animals like guinea pigs (Cavies).
That you work w/bunnies is wonderful =3 it can be hard, seeing as so many people have no idea how *smart* bunnies & piggies can be. (we have a mini-Rex bunny, you can actually *see* the little wheels turning behind his eyes xD) If they havent been handled & shown the proper affection to develope a sense of trust, rabbits will require an immense amount of patience to rehabilitate, as they have the automatic ‘prey instinct’ to be more skittish/less trusting.
I’m a major piggy lover (if my icon didnt make that clear enough), & so many people don’t realize how smart & emotionally unique, & expressive they are. I can sit mine down anywhere in the house, they go right back to me in my bedroom, & argue over who I pay attention to xD I had brothers who I *always* had to hold at the same time, bc they’d get jealous, then would have a shoving contest trying to knock the other off me xD they loved each other & were bonded, but we’re competitive.
We’ve adopted piggies from the shelter many times, & often call the pet stores we know have them, to ask if they have any adult/older piggies that need a home… Since everyone chooses to get a tiny baby, over an adult, given the chance, but they need good homes.
Yes, rabbit thing kills me. I only do rabbits when I find a domesticated bun who has been abandoned at a park because wild rabbits live there are and are fine. 🙁 I spent over an hour picking ticks off this one poor bunny, who was clearly slowly starving to death out there.
I’ve come to appreciate rabbits for the little Napoleons they are. Who knew that “prey” animals could have so much sass?
A happy ending. Hopefully the poor dog doesn’t remember the torture. I foster rescues and most of them had “issues” (none of mine had been abised that severely, thankfully). One of my dogs was a stray who evidently went through some s*it because he flinches and ducks any time i am carrying something, and it was months before he would let us touch him or pet him. It took months of kindness to get him to trust us, but now he’s the most wonderful, sweet pet. Dogs don’t want to be vicious. They will fight if you make them, but they just want to be your family.
Your uncle sounds like a wonderful person and I wish there were more kind hearts like his on the planet.
So nice to read this … inspiring and reassuring to know that there are still people out there who will take the time and provide care to the beings with the purest of hearts when they need it. Thank you for sharing!
I got all misty with ncboudicca reading that. I’m glad one of those dogs got to have a happy ending. Kudos to your uncle and family.
Count me among those who cried reading about your wonderful uncle and the incredibly lucky dog he saved. I wonder if there was any attempt to find a loving home for these dogs, with an owner who would have the knowledge to help them make the transition to civilian life. England is famous for dog lovers, and it seems to me that there would have been plenty of qualified parties.
The irony of course being William left the military to devote more time to animal causes.
yes.
But we all know “devote more time to animal causes” is William´s code for: vacation, hunting, vacation, polo, vacation, movie premiere, vacation, polo, hunting, vacation…
It’s not William’s fault that these dogs were put down but he defiantly have the power and authority to do something about it.
But then they are not exotic, endangered animals of Africa, they are just common british dogs that served protecting him so just doesn’t give a shit. Pretty much how he treats his job and public role.
You said it’s not his fault, then blamed him for it.
Maybe he was under the impression something else would be done with the dogs.
I read the blame going forward not that he had anything to do with the poor dogs’ fate.
I’m not sure what pitching a hissy fit after the fact would accomplish. Does Harry have guard dogs?
The dogs shouldn’t have been put down. It seems like a lazy choice that was made, because no one wanted to deal with the dogs.
I agree with you second paragraph; however, my initial response was “WTF”? I spent some time in the UK, and in general, dog owners in the UK and animal protection societies are much more proactive about caring for their dogs and training them early on so that behavioral problems are not an issue-then everyone is happy.
E.g. All the rest areas there, at least in SW England, have big signs reminding owners not to leave their dogs in the car.
I think someone should be held accountable for this in the military so that it never happens again. The Ministry of Defense (Their DoD) defended the decision, but who really made it?
The US Military has K-9 corps, and in the beginning (WW-I, I think, because I remember trenches being talked about a good bit) the dogs were pretty much disposable. Former owners-that’s where the dog “supply” came from!-were furious when they found out, as were animal welfare organizations and handlers. These were the dogs that survived, note-they were put down. The ones that didn’t often died because they were put in the line of fire or buried in a trench with explosives. There was one picture of a collie in a trench-we had one when I was little-and when I saw it, I started to cry.
That doesn’t happen now. It may be because military dogs cost and arm and a leg to acquire (no “pets”), train and equip; nevertheless, if US citizens-and former handlers who the dogs are separated from-found out there was abuse of these animals, there would be hell to pay.
@Ravensdaughter – God, I didn’t know about the way dogs were treated back in WW2. The Collie in the trench description is absolutely sickening, & I would’ve reacted the same way. Humans, for all their intelligence, are the only animals that appear to have such a developed capacity for cruelty, & it makes me ashamed to be one.
I do know that now, at least from what I’ve seen & heard, US military dogs, especially bomb detecting dogs, are given the utmost love & respect from trainers, handlers, & the men & women of the units they become part of. Those killed in action are given a version of a soldier’s funeral, the ashes given a US flag folded by the superiors of their unit. They also receive homecoming honors the same as the ashes or casket of a soldier. Those who retire almost always stay w/their partners/handlers, & when a soldier who is a handler comes home (either after completing duty or sent home for injury), their dog partners are sent home w/them (whether the dogs are retired or not) to be w/they & their family.
I can’t say this is always the case; but the things I have seen & heard give me faith that the horrifying careless lack of respect from our military past is now at least, for the majority, improving.
It happens in the US too….www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Afghanistan-dog-hero-mistake-Arizona-animal-she…
UGH!!!! I saw this headline on the Daily Mail site yesterday and didn’t even want to click on the link to read the story because just the thought made me sick to my stomach. There is something seriously wrong with this. First of all, if the one dog could not be reassigned, why not keep him doing what he was doing — I’m sure they still need guard dogs somewhere. And I think they said the other dog was at the end of his career – or something to that tune. Are they God? They know for certain when the end has occurred? WTF. I HATE this story and as completely irrational as it is, I’ll think of this when I see Prince William’s smug face.
I don’t like animals being “used” or “employed”, period. They are loyal, emotional, intelligent beings with a memory and psyche that can be damaged by the experience of disasters and war, and as a result can develop “behavioral issues”, but which should NOT be treated with death!! This is blatant misuse and extortion of a being which has no choice but to do as their owner wishes…. at the cost of their health and ultimately lives. This is worse than child soldiers only in that they are regarded as less worthy than humans and are easily left behind or neglected the care they need, when they need it.
FOR SHAME!!!
Our family dog developed a deep depression when my parents divorced, and she was never the same after that. I am convinced these are souls with memories etched into them and who do not have to go through such pain and misery for mans foolish and brutal intentions.
ITA 100%.
teehee: I used to hate seeing dogs ’emplyed’ as well… But then I learned that some breeds, such as herding dogs and others actually like to work! Or at least they need something to keep them occupied or they get super bored and start to act out. Just thought I’d add that because I always thought it was sort of rude of us humans to assume that a dog wants a job!
I agree emmie. We just got our Pointer home, and she needs a job. When she’s not being challenged she gets extremely bored. And she’s only a puppy now. If we don’t keep giving her a job to do, she’s going to lead a very unhappy life.
Just because they are animals doesn’t mean they’re content being simply a pet. Many many dogs, if not all, need some sort of task to do to be emotionally and mentally sound.
Oh Im certainly not talking about that kind of employment– I am referring to war or military in particular, even police!
Seeing eye, herding, therapy, and all other basic service dogs are nto what Im talking about, of course!
To compare this in any possible way to the use of child soldiers is a truly horrifying, ignorant, thoughtless commentary.
Really?
That would be based on the idea that humans must be better than dogs.
When humans are the ones sending their children to war;
when humans will send animals into war;
when humans will put animals down;
when humans are destroying the planet not only for themselves but for all other species—
Are you SURE humans are better than dogs?!
I think NOT. But then again, that is my private and humble view– that we are not worthy of this world. However, I know that 99% of humans will both moan about the state of affairs AND still think that humans are more valuable than anythign else…. the very reason why wars are started…..
Oh my good Lord, what is this; Disneyland? Worse than child soldiers?
teehee, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for saying it.
Re child soldiers: Did you see the part where she says they are ONLY comparable to them in this area?
Dogs thrive when they have ‘jobs’. And not all guard dogs will make good family pets once they’ve been retired.
I have no problem with human euthanization.
But it isn’t the DOGS fault if they are messed up after doing what they have been forced to do. To kill them because it harms them, is just a double insult.
Although I will agree not all service dogs can be integrated– which is just another reason that to put them into such a scarring position is a bad idea. A herd dog or seeing dog will have no issue being integrated when their service is up- but a military dog will.
Gross. Gross. Gross.
Jenna, your uncle does sound like an amazing man. I’m glas Suzie got a chance at a happy life!
Kimmy, your guess would be right, my uncle (the only non-crazy… well. The only CORRECTLY crazy family on that side of my family I have) is a pretty spiffy guy. Two other uncles are ministers, and instead of use them, when the time came, my husband and I had him get ordained online and married us! Suzie did indeed have a happy life – she lived as the Queen of all she surveyed in the house (although if you asked her “where’s God” she would run to my uncle, lay her head adoringly in his lap and harumph at us. Wonderfully odd dog) for almost 8 years which was rather amazing considering the life she had ~before~.
When we all lost her, it was a family member dying, but in a weird way, she seemed to pick her successor. One day, about a year before she died, she got out – scaring the crap out of all of us – and when she sauntered back a few hours later… she came dang near dragging another Shar Pei behind her that had obviously been used in pit fights. SHE worked with Cyndi almost as much as the family teaching her that this was her safe place and to not be afraid anymore. Cyndi isn’t a replacement, but she definitely is the soul ‘daughter’ of Suzie, and is keeping the love going until we all can get back together one day.
(And yes. I’m one of those dorks that honestly and truly believe we meet back with our loved ones ~ALL~ of them, all shapes and leg arrangements, when we shake off this turn on the wheel.)
@Jenna – That is amazing. I couldn’t help but tear up… She got out, & came home with another badly abused dog… You used the words “practically dragged”, but did that mean the other dog had just…chosen to trust & follow Suzie? The fact that she found another like herself… Invited them into *her* home (/’safe place’)… Practically adopted her… It’s just amazing & wonderful.
“Loved ones of all shapes & leg arrangements” is so beautifully funny, to me. =) I always believed (& truly hoped) for the same. If so, I’m going to have an entire herd of guinea pigs to deal with, & the thought of getting to see them again makes me cry. I can’t even fathom how some people can claim animals don’t have ‘souls’, &/or don’t have an afterlife (while they believe humans do). It really escapes me how anyone could think such a thing, especially with stories like your family’s.
I don’t like dogs. Don’t like em at all. They scare me and I don’t understand why people keep them as pets but this story disgusts even me.
There is NO excuse to put healthy service dogs down.NONE!
This reminds me of all those dogs left behind/put down when the US pulled out of Viet Nam. Seems like the military is doing better now with dogs- hopefully this fiasco will change minds in UK military.
That’s just WRONG.
Jesus Christ. William SHOULD have known, and should have done something about it, like adopt them, or whatever other, more sensible option might have been. This is RIDICULOUS and appalling.
WTF I just cant with this story!?!?! As a german shepherd owner this pains me how could you do that to such loyal and beautiful creatures.
Disgusting! I don’t understand this mentality that animals are disposable and can be killed at a whim. Can’t afford your pet bill? Put ’em down. Pet getting too old? Put ’em down. Would you be so heartless to a human?
Exactly, ITA! Over the last couple yrs, finances have been for shit for us. Our smallest doxie has severe allergies to just about *everything*! And it’s skin, GI, you name it! She has to have a prescription ultra nonallergenic food. As our dogs refuse to eat until they’re good and ready (unless they’re ravenous) then it leads our Aussie to believe, “oh cool, you left it for me!”. The two little ones won’t eat separately, so we just put all three on the rx food. About $200/mth for food.
When ER came up, we have actually cut OUR food bill to make sure they have their food, meds, and anything else they may need. (which has included ER surgeries, anal gland abscesses, plus xrays and endoscopies as the dachshunds are both little garbage guts and will try to eat anything that’s not nailed down. Including the base boards all around my brand new home!!)
TL;DR version-they are family and are treated as such! When things started turning bad for the baby doxie, around 9 mths old, we could have put her down when her bills started hitting over $2k. But I wouldn’t do that to my daughter (DH? Hmm..only if *extremely* necessary) (o; Why would we do it to another family member?
We have an older dog who is just now starting to have continence issues. No, it’s not fun, but I mused to Mr. bluhare yesterday that some people would have him euthanized for this. I can’t. I’ll pee-proof the house as best I can and get him diapers if I have to. Little guy is staring at me now. He wants my breakfast.
That’s nice bluhare. I’ve only ever turned to putting my dogs down when they were in pain. Dogs are loyal and loving. I can’t handle this article.
You and me both, KittenMittens. I just got some wee wee pads, and have bed liners on now. Not fun, but I’m not going to dump him because he’s getting old. We’re going to try him on dog dementia meds (yes, really) as he’s exhibited another trait or two that makes me wonder if that’s part of it.
Well, some people believe in having the dog have a great last day, instead of deteriorating to the point that there’s no other choice. I can kind of understand it. Even though that’s not where I am.
I am a few years in to incontinence, and I can say that it takes a LOT out of a person, especially if you have no help or anything else going on in your life like illness. And pee is one thing, but if they also start to lose control in other ways, you’re cleaning a lot more. I clean a lot of bedding, scrub a lot of floors, and just yesterday was cleaning crap out from between my dog’s toes on top of scrubbing the floors. I’ve had a few days where I’m not sure I can handle it any more, and I think that’s a normal reaction when things get really bad.
I’m a big believer in good last days too. We’ve done quite a few of them. I’ve got our vet to agree to give me a sedative shot when it’s time for that last trip. I do not want their last memory being about going to the vet. It is so much easier doing it that way, for everybody.
I have GDS so this news saddens me very much. That’s like killing a police dog instead of letting it retire.
Not Cool.
This is complete BS!! Unless they were seriously ill, there is NO reason that they cannot be re-homed or at least surrendered to a sanctuary somewhere!
“Thanks for your hard work pup – now you get to die” UGH
This sounds so much like the racing greyhound issues from 30 years ago, that they “cannot be re-homed” once they are retired from racing. Almost all greyhound tracks are now partnered with adoption groups and put those great dogs into homes, and those dogs prove time and time again that they make GREAT pets!
Having had two retired racers and one who was too big and clumsy to even train, I can vouch that they are great pets.
True story. One raced out the front door one day before we could stop him (he probably saw a leaf move or something), and went tearing down the street. Our neighbor almost had a coronary as he was driving down the street and got passed by a dog!!
I has to be hospitalized some time ago around Christmas and was in very low spirits. A group of people came in with therapy dogs. One of them was a greyhound rescue named Bambi. I always thought that greyhounds were high strung, but she was calm, sweet and gentle. I am more of a cat person, but I loved that dog! Her visit made that whole unpleasant stay more bearable.
philkatt, that’s a huge misconception about greyhounds. They’re big couch slobs and very sweet. Our last one “smiled” too!
I don’t like this any more than the rest of you, but I think it’s ridiculous to blame William. They weren’t his personal guard dogs, and he didn’t make the decision (or in all likelihood have any idea it was happening). And I think it would have been a TERRIBLE idea for him to throw his weight around and try to stop it if he had known — this is an official military policy and members of the Royal family shouldn’t just decide that they want those to be overridden in particular cases.
If you want to be pissed, be pissed at the people actually responsible — the ones in charge of making these policies and implementing them. (And for the record, I believe the U.S. military has a similar policy with regards to some of its dogs — ones that, like these, have training that makes them unsuitable for being re-homed. These are not sniffer dogs, they’re trained to aggressively guard property. It’s probably NOT appropriate to re-home them, so the only way to prevent this would be to stop using dogs in this capacity — again, something that policy makers would have to decide.)
THIS.
Disgusting, but the rage is directed at the wrong people.
William is quite capable of throwing his petty weight around when it suits him. Why not, when it actually matters and doesn’t involve him?
I am mad at the people who did it, not William, but I do hope he uses this to champion rehoming service dogs when their careers are over.
This. Be pissed at the military. Other’s have posted fantastic articles about how this is SOP for them when retiring service dogs. William doesn’t have anything to do with it.
Is there any evidence this might be common practice? Once a dog is specially trained and serves the dog is not worth the cost to retrain?
Yes, William should address this, but this story didn’t just break. It’s been out. The PR people will be quick on their feet to give them excuses, but not this?
And, yea. Poor pups! I hate these stories.
Not for a minute do I believe these dogs were incapable of being reprogrammed to live in a home. Remember Michael Vicks and his killer fighting pit bulls? Well most of them went to loving homes after some retraining and loving care, and some are actually being used as therapy dogs in hospitals and old age homes. What a bunch of bollocks, I hope something gets done to end this horrible practice of euthanizing beautiful dogs when they’re no longer “employable”.
MOST of the Vick dogs were put down. Your information is incorrect. Many of them were saved thanks to Dog Town, a place out west in the States (can’t remember the state). They received several of the Vick dogs and managed to re-train a few of them and they kept the rest. Yes, some were re-trained as service dogs but not very many. Those dogs were far to dangerous to put into private homes.
Most were actually saved:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/06/ST2008070602429.html
Thanks for the link. Facts should be checked before people start stating information. Especially with specific situations that are much easier to find.
I think the thing that makes me the angriest is that they apparently believe that old age is an appropriate reason to put a dog down. Fuck that noise.
Sled dogs in Whistler get put down after the season. Every year I believe. Makes me sad.
” Every year I believe” — No. You are misinformed.
In April of 2010, a single tour company in Whistler culled 56 sled dogs because they could no longer afford to keep and feed them. They were shot and stabbed in a brutal fashion, but only after a vet refused to euthanize them because they were healthy. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand their deaths were violent and painful. On the other hand, I have first hand experience with sled dogs and I don’t believe they could have been successfully transitioned into pets. Just this July, a sled dog company flooded a Whistler animal shelter with 86 dogs they could no longer keep.
Back to the issue of these two dogs from Angelsey: I have no problem with them being euthanized. Guard dogs are trained weapons. I would prefer that (much like a machine gun or an uzi) they remain out of the hands of the general public. Too often I see some well-meaning people in my community with a “pet” they’ve “rescued” who think watching every episode of Cesar Milan’s show means they are qualified to handle a dog who has been trained to be violent. The reality is that what makes a dog an excellent security tool, makes them a danger to the public. I don’t want one of these dogs in my town, near my children because they are a ticking time bomb.
In this instance, I’m grateful that experienced dog trainers made a tough call regarding the potential threat to humans.
+1000 Thanks for posting this. Dogs that are trained attack animals, and even those that are not trained but are aggressive breeds should NOT be pets. Every time you open the newspaper there are stories of “that wonderful, loving member-of-the-family” mauling a child or someone else. Just the other day an 82 year old woman was mauled by a neighbor’s pit bull, in my area. And that was NOT a dog that had been trained to be aggressive! The dog-saving stuff is ridiculous; people should NOT be allowed to own these dangerous breeds or “rescue” such animals.
I remember reading about that a while ago. It made me so sad and angry that people treat working dogs like disposable phones. Use it for a while, then get rid of it when the job is done and buy a new one when you need it. There are a lot of people and organizations out there that will gladly take in a retired dog, and the dogs will gladly live in a nice home or even learn a new “job” and work for a few more years.
There are many sad dog stories. Desirable pure breds are often stolen from the city where I live and taken to reservations up north. They are probably left to run free up there. Who knows what happens to them up there. At least these dogs were put down quickly, not left to suffer and starve like some are.
I’m really annoyed that William is being blamed by some commenters on here for the guard dogs being put down. First of all, William most likely never even saw these dogs. The dogs were handled by security people who were no where near William, Kate and George; they were most likely with their handlers walking the perimeter of the house or walking with their handlers around the buildings or sites where William and his family were living, visiting or working. Dogs are not used inside the house of the person being guarded because they are too aggressive. So to even slightly “blame” William for this is just plain silly and stupid and it makes me angry. Obviously most of you know nothing about guard dogs. At the White House there are at least 50 guards who each have a dog. Have you ever seen these dogs? No and you won’t see them. They are invisible. And, yes, some of them are put down after their service. It’s common to do this.
I understand the anger about these dogs being put down but direct your anger where it should be directed and it’s not at William.
Sorry for the rant but seriously people . . .
You are wrong, mslewis.
It used to be legal and common practice to abandon or put down military working dogs, known as MWDs, at the end of their useful service. Historically viewed as “surplus equipment,” they weren’t seen as having value beyond the military purpose for which they were trained. That mindset has changed dramatically, due in no small part to the public’s growing awareness of how these animals were treated after years of dutiful service.
Robby’s Law http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.5314.ENR: was signed by President Bill Clinton in November 2000 and required that all military working dogs suitable for adoption be available for placement after their service.
This is a law that needs to be passed in Britain, and Prince William could spearhead the politcal will to make it so.
In the United States, we still have work to do to make sure the Canine Members of Armed Forces Act passes, which will ensure military working dogs are no longer considered equipment under a new bill. – http://www.save-a-vet.org/d7/jones-blumental2
You don’t have to give me links, dearie, I was in the military, worked with the dogs and I KNOW THEY ARE STILL BEING PUT DOWN!!!
mslewis, do you think Robby’s Law made a difference in the number of dogs being put down?
@Sloane Wyatt
But how many are actually deemed to be adoptable? The language of the law seems questionable, and has the appearance of lip service.
How is William getting the brunt of this?
If anything it seems people are upset these dogs were put down after their service ended and the reason given seems like total BS. If they were sick enough to be put down how were they healthy enough to remain as guard dogs?
And William is not blamed directly like he held the needle or signed the forms to kill the dogs. People are just questioning if he’ll act to make this right. To make sure dogs aren’t viewed as something so disposable once they’ve served their purpose.
this makes me sick… My Father was a K-9 Officer for 30 years and in those 30 years when his dogs were old enough to retire, they retired them and let him bring them home. There is NO excuse for this bullshit.
Edit: The “bad temper” excuse is bullshit. I was a small child when my father brought many of his retired police dogs home and they were the most loving dogs.
Disgraceful and disgusting and unnecessary. What a terrible thing to do to such loyal dogs. I can’t even string a proper sentence together, this is so upsetting.
This is disgusting! Imagine just how many dogs this happens to every year. I hope poor Brus & Blade have crossed the rainbow bridge and are in a better place now.
This is a golden opportunity for Prince William to endear himself to the British people. If he squanders his influence and does nothing about the reprehensible practice of routinely killing service dogs rather than re-homing them, the Prince will be exposed as an inhumane asshole.
http://www.localnews8.com/news/unadoptable-dog-gets-second-chance-through-idaho-prison-program/-/308662/20213402/-/10og1em/-/index.html
I think so too. Not sure I’d call William an inhumane a-hole. Just plain a-hole would do! (If he ignores it, that is.)
If he addresses it, great! If he does it immediately I’d find this action as very sincere. That he was so outraged by it he didn’t want to waste any time correcting this so no more good dogs are put down. If he waits takes a vacation before addressing this i’ll probably assume he doesn’t care and was only having his pr people watch this closely and to see how it plays out.
Ball is in his court. And as someone said too many people were blaming William I say i’ll blame him for having the platform to change this and wasting it if nothing is done.
So they were fit to work right up until the end. Once that was over, they put them down, and it just so happens both of them needed to be put down. I find that bizarre and don’t believe they looked at every avenue possible.
Maybe they were afraid that by re-homing the dogs, someone would take advantage of the fact that they were “Prince William’s Guard Dogs” and try to profit from that. In that case they decided it was better to put them down then risk the chance of some unscrupulous person taking them in. That still doesn’t make it any better, but just another perspective on why they made that decision in these two dogs particular cases.
i hate this!!!!! i hate reading or hearing stories like this!! its horrible!! how people can do this! it makes me so sad…
when people treat animals and take care of them thats when i thing we still have some humanity left (against all the shi*** is happening rigth now)…
i know the US military puts down some dogs when they are retired because their training makes them “dangerous” in a home setting. i dont have any numbers but i donated some money to a service person who was raising money to have the dog she worked with in iraq released to some shelter as opposed to being put down.
I work with dog rescue. I’m seriously tearing up over this, that’s how upset I am.
This story is thoroughly disgusting.
As other commenters have noted, the timing of the dogs’ deaths is highly suspect. So the dogs were fine to guard Duke Tightass, but developed unsolvable problems right after the Tightass left? Right. Sure.
And yeah, Tightass deserves some of the blame for not even giving enough of a shit to inquire after the futures of the dogs used to guard him. Or hell, maybe he did inquire, and still didn’t give a shit.
All the people in this story are reprehensible.
There are no words for the indifference to life, both animal and human, that is the hallmark of royal living and surrounds these deadbeats. Everyone is disposable. Such callousness and cruelty. They make a mockery of all that is good and beautiful. Strip away the wealth and titles, and what are they? They are not fit to live. The dogs, and the thousands of animals that have been maimed and killed in the name of sport, on the other hand, were.
And, yeah, the prince of ‘conservation’ bears some responsibility. As if he cares.
What a sad article. I am cuddling my own beloved pup as I read the story and comments.
I know this is totally not the point but W LOOKS *so* effete in that first pic. Edward II would be (bitchily) jealous.
(And SOB re the dogs. Agree the timing is suspicious.)
Given what they are saying about the 2 dogs is actually true, with all that $$$ they can’t even keep a sick and an old dog alive? What good fot nothing bunch !!
First the nurse, now this. The kiss of death really does follow Willie & Waity wherever they go.
I used to live next door to a family who had a German Shepard that was previously a police dog and they left their front door open with the screen door shut.
The dog pawed the door open and ripped my three year old little sister’s head open (she is alright now she is 13, she loves dogs and all of her scars are under her hair thank god) so it is possible for a service dog to have behavioural issues. My parents didn’t force them to put the dog down either.
In the interest and for the protection of ALL British citizens the dogs had to be put down in order to reduce and outright eliminate any chance of being kidnapped by factions unfriendly to the Crown and, under duress, be forced to reveal sensitive and potentially embarrassing State secrets. So, it was a security issue, you see.
***********************************
Although I am being snarky, that’s a sad outcome for the dogs. Wish they could do more to “rehabilitate” and retrain them for other jobs. Hell, it’s what we are forced to do (retrain) when we are downsized or found to be no longer relevant to the corporate masters we serve.
Dammit. The comments here have brought me to tears. 🙁
I’m a dog owner who have experience with raising dogs since my childhood since my dad had a kennel and breed working dogs, and without knowing the details I think they probably made a mature choice. Watchdogs are not breed to familylife, and in the wrong hands they can be used like dangerous weapons and be a great risk to people. If they couldn’t find the right responsible owner it was better to put them down. I love dogs but owning certain type of trained dogs are not for anyone.
If a future King of england who cries over poached rhinos can’t figure out what happens to dogs after and make a plan for it , no one can.
Stop making excuses for Will.
As a member of the veterinary profession, I can tell you these dogs would not have been euthanized simply because the duke left. It costs an insane amount of money to train and maintain these dogs and there is no way the government would kill them for no reason. That’s basically just flushing government funding down the drain. In addition, dogs who have been trained for protection can have issues with aggression, even though they are extremely well trained dogs. That is why every time they go in for a physical exam with a vet, they wear muzzles. You assume they are only going to be aggressive when the situation is right (i.e. what they’ve been trained for), but you can never predict exactly what an animal is going to do. To rehome a dog like this, you need to make sure the potential new owner can handle this type of animal, and that’s not an easy owner to find. The handler would be a great option for adoption, but obviously that is not always possible. These cases of euthanasia are very sad, but sometimes it’s the only safe and humane option.
That’s a sensible take on this. Not every dog-lover can handle such animals, or should.
Perhaps you mean this was the only humane result of human actions – because the humane option if what you are saying is true is not to train the dogs as protection officers in the first place.
Will is a tool!
Sickening. I need to go to my happy place now.
They could have been used for another guarding job. This couple is not down to earth, they are like the rest of them. I managed to pay for a dog to come from mauritius and three cats from cyprus, It has cost me a fortune, he has the money to make sure they go elsewhere to a good home to work,and the powe what horrible people. now William you better go off and do a hard days work !