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Target, a dog who was honored for her bravery in saving the lives of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan by attacking a suicide bomber was wrongfully euthanized in an Arizona animal shelter after she wandered away from her home.
A sad sequence of events that began last Friday has cost the life of a hero dog. Target managed to survive explosives and being shot in a war-torn country, but was let down by bureaucracy and the people she trusted most.
Target’s Story
Earlier this year Target and her two canine buddies Sasha and Rufus, befriended U.S. soldiers stationed on a military that bordered Pakistan and Afghanistan. The men, including Sgt. Terry Young began feeding the dogs and treating them like pets.
Then in February a suicide bomber broke onto the base in the middle of the night, wearing 25 pounds of explosives and intent on murdering as many soldiers as possible.
The dogs heard the bomber and began barking at him and biting him. In the process they awoke the entire base. The dogs chased the frightened bomber to a remote area outside the compound where he detonated himself and the bomb.
Target, Sasha and Rufus were credited with saving the lives of 50 soldiers who would have been killed in their sleep if the dogs hadn’t alerted them. Five soldiers were wounded.
Tragically Sasha was killed during the attack. Target and Rufus were treated for their injuries and made full recoveries. The buddies were treated like heroes on the base, from that time forward.
When Sgt. Young completed his tour of duty, Target accompanied him home to Arizona. Rufus was sent to live in Georgia with another soldier. The cost was covered by several animal welfare groups.
At first Target received a lot of media attention for her bravery, but finally she settled in as a beloved pet with Sgt. Young and his family.
Tragedy Strikes
Then last Friday tragedy struck when Target escaped from her backyard. Sgt. Young posted notices and contacted TV stations that did a report about his missing friend.
What Sgt. Young didn’t know was that a neighbor found Target wandering on the street, put her in his backyard and contacted the local animal shelter.
The shelter impounded Target who unfortunately was not micro-chipped or wearing a collar.
On Friday night, Sgt. Young found Target’s picture on the animal shelter’s website for lost pets.
But two errors in judgment happened afterwards that cost Target her life.
First Sgt. Young thought the animal shelter was closed over the weekend so he waited until Monday morning to claim his dog.
And second, a shelter worker confused Target with another dog and removed her from her pen early Monday morning and euthanized her.
By the time the soldier arrived at the Pinal County Animal Shelter to bring his buddy home, he found out she was dead.
The employee at the shelter is on administrative leave for not following procedures to properly identify animals to be euthanized.
Sgt. Young is devastated about losing Target, but his hardest job was trying to explain what happened to his young son.
“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,” Sgt. Young said to a local CBS TV station.
Unfortunately this is not the first animal shelter to make this king of mistake. Maybe Target’s life will not have ended in vain, if it reminds shelter workers to be careful, follow procedures and reminds them that euthanasia is the end of a “real-life.”
A sad sequence of events that began last Friday has cost the life of a hero dog. Target managed to survive explosives and being shot in a war-torn country, but was let down by bureaucracy and the people she trusted most.
Target’s Story
Earlier this year Target and her two canine buddies Sasha and Rufus, befriended U.S. soldiers stationed on a military that bordered Pakistan and Afghanistan. The men, including Sgt. Terry Young began feeding the dogs and treating them like pets.
Then in February a suicide bomber broke onto the base in the middle of the night, wearing 25 pounds of explosives and intent on murdering as many soldiers as possible.
The dogs heard the bomber and began barking at him and biting him. In the process they awoke the entire base. The dogs chased the frightened bomber to a remote area outside the compound where he detonated himself and the bomb.
Target, Sasha and Rufus were credited with saving the lives of 50 soldiers who would have been killed in their sleep if the dogs hadn’t alerted them. Five soldiers were wounded.
Tragically Sasha was killed during the attack. Target and Rufus were treated for their injuries and made full recoveries. The buddies were treated like heroes on the base, from that time forward.
When Sgt. Young completed his tour of duty, Target accompanied him home to Arizona. Rufus was sent to live in Georgia with another soldier. The cost was covered by several animal welfare groups.
At first Target received a lot of media attention for her bravery, but finally she settled in as a beloved pet with Sgt. Young and his family.
Tragedy Strikes
Then last Friday tragedy struck when Target escaped from her backyard. Sgt. Young posted notices and contacted TV stations that did a report about his missing friend.
What Sgt. Young didn’t know was that a neighbor found Target wandering on the street, put her in his backyard and contacted the local animal shelter.
The shelter impounded Target who unfortunately was not micro-chipped or wearing a collar.
On Friday night, Sgt. Young found Target’s picture on the animal shelter’s website for lost pets.
But two errors in judgment happened afterwards that cost Target her life.
First Sgt. Young thought the animal shelter was closed over the weekend so he waited until Monday morning to claim his dog.
And second, a shelter worker confused Target with another dog and removed her from her pen early Monday morning and euthanized her.
By the time the soldier arrived at the Pinal County Animal Shelter to bring his buddy home, he found out she was dead.
The employee at the shelter is on administrative leave for not following procedures to properly identify animals to be euthanized.
Sgt. Young is devastated about losing Target, but his hardest job was trying to explain what happened to his young son.
“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,” Sgt. Young said to a local CBS TV station.
Unfortunately this is not the first animal shelter to make this king of mistake. Maybe Target’s life will not have ended in vain, if it reminds shelter workers to be careful, follow procedures and reminds them that euthanasia is the end of a “real-life.”