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According to a survey by the State Department's Inspector General, bomb sniffer dogs sent from the United States to their ally Jordan are dying.
Investigators found that at least 10 dogs sent to Jordan between 2008 and 2016 had died of medical problems "while others were living in unsanitary conditions," including poorly maintained kennels.
The photos included in the report showed dogs so thin that their ribs protruded from their sides. Some had severely invaded nails and sore ticks.
"Many dogs have hip dysplasia and obvious arthritis, and have lost the desire to work," the report said.
The State Department has sent specially trained dogs to allies for over 20 years as part of a counterterrorism assistance program. The investigation, which began in July 2017 after a complaint to the hotline, concluded that the state department had spent "millions of dollars" to train the dogs and send them to abroad, but had not "guaranteed the health and well-being of the dogs after their deployment".
"It threatens the ability of dogs to properly perform the detection work and also creates risks for their well-being," the report says.
Dogs continued to be sent to Jordan even after a US staff member visited Jordan for a welfare check in April 2016.
The State Department was unable to provide investigators with detailed information on the dogs that he had sent to countries other than Jordan, which currently has 61 bomb-sniffing dogs.
The report, released last week, contained five recommendations, including frequent social security checks, the development of a dog retirement plan, and written agreements between the United States and partner countries. The investigators also recommended that the State Department stop sending dogs to Jordan until it ensures the health and well-being of the dogs, but the department disagrees.
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