Canine war heroes mistreated by U.S. Army -Pentagon report

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment tries to sleep next to a dog at the Diyala media center in Diyala province August 6, 2008. REUTERS/Andrea Comas/File Photo

(Reuters) - They made up a corps of bomb-sniffing dogs that accompanied brigade combat teams on potentially lethal missions, sniffing out roadside bombs in Afghanistan and saving human lives.

In return for their combat service, the U.S. Army mistreated these canine heroes when they were discharged from the military, the Defense Department’s Inspector General’s Office said in a report issued on March 1.