The United States is no longer sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Egypt and Jordan after other canines sent to the countries were mistreated.
The dogs were trained in the U.S. and sent to Egypt and Jordan as part of an anti-terrorism program. The program was reviewed, and a September report revealed more than 100 instances in which dogs provided to Egypt, Jordan, and six other countries were neglected or mistreated.
“The department takes the results and recommendations of the OIG reports seriously. Any death of a canine in the field is an extremely sad event, and we will take every measure possible to prevent this from happening in the future,” a State department spokesman said. The department announced the temporary ban on Monday.
The State Department has decided to “cease temporarily providing additional canines to Jordan and Egypt until those countries implement our requirements to ensure the canines’ health and welfare,” the spokesman said.
The program has 136 dogs, including one about to retire. Aside from Egypt and Jordan, the U.S. also sends dogs to Afghanistan, Bahrain, the Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Nepal, and Oman.
