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Subscribe to RSSA dog training company that provides canines to the military to detect hidden bombs claims that 14 of its animals died in a sealed truck container at a shipping facility in Houston because of negligence by shippers, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The dogs were awaiting air shipment from Houston to U.S., Canadian and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2010, the Chronicle said.
The owners, Florida-based American K-9 Detection Services, leases dogs and handlers to the military, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement and other groups for a variety of functions had a contract to provide the dogs for checkpoint security, vehicle sweeps, and roving patrols, according to the publication Courthouse News Service.
These dogs -- German shepherds and Belgian Malinois -- were due to be shipped by air to Afghanistan on Dec. 21, 2010 after arriving at the Houston facility a day earlier, said the Chronicle.
But agents for the owners reportedly found the animals dead inside an unventilated box truck on Dec. 21, according to the lawsuit against Indian Creek Enterprises Inc. and Live Animal Transportation Services -- companies that were charged with handling and transporting the animals.
The agents found the dogs dead and found blood on the truck floor and in some crates and damage that suggested two animals had tried to escape the containers, according to the lawsuit filed in the 281st state District Court in Harris County, Tex.
American K-9 started training the animals in late 2010 under a contract with the U.S. government. The dogs – Tiny, Rex, Rocky, Crock, Dork, Harrie, Stress, Sigo, Jago, Kimbo, Rex, Kilo, Albert and Bak – were certified to be in good health by a veterinarian on Dec. 20, the Chronicle reported.
American K-9 is seeking $1.3 million in damages and $30,000 in legal fees after failing to settle the matter out of court, the report said.
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Get the owners in a container, keep them one week at the airport, parachute them into Pak.
Negligence? Who called that negligence? Morons!
This infuriates me! What a pointless waste of valuable lives. These dogs put their lives on the line to save humans and they're rewarded with a torturous death.
The people responsible need to be neutered. Slowly. With a spork.
Most likely it isn't the owners, the transportation company was responsible for these animals and where they were located..
Time to shut the transport company down completely. They should have been sued for enough to bankrupt that company. There should be a criminal investigation this type of negligence certaintly warrants it.
Jail time is what is NEEDED here!!!!!!!!!!!!
HEADS SHOULD ROLL for this. WHOEVER responsible for these animals transfer, food, shelter, and air transport should be charged with MURDER. There is NO situation that was MORE IMPORTANT FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED. Jail time should be MANDATORY.
It is astounding that a company that specializes in transporting animals would do something so stupid. Poor doggies.
I blame both the owners and the transportation company.
First, the owners should have asked to see the containers the animals were to be shipped in. Secondly, the transportation company should have mustered up a couple of brain cells to realise that even dogs need ventilation to survive.
Lastly, these animals are very well trained to sit in one location no mater what is going on around them. Next time, ship them with first class accommodations. It's the least that can be done for an animal that may mean the difference between a loved one coming home in a pine box or to give you a welcome back hug.
Wake Up Now --
Your math skills are deplorable.
Most likely the transportation company assured the owners of a safe method of shipment.
The guy that sold the job then left to do something else and never looked back.
The guy that picked up the dogs was paid less than he thought he deserved and didn't care what happened - or someone screwed up the directions and the guy at the bottom followed the directions thinking, "this is stupid" but I'll do what they say.
In the end the company doing the shipping is responsible because they were probably cutting corners and not thinking about what they were doing.
It really doesn't take much common sense to know that if it breathes it's going to need air...if it is a dog, unless you're a complete moron, it will also need to be handled carefully. It doesn't matter how much or how little they were paid...they had to have known better.
When stuff like this happens all I can think about is how much the animal suffered. I doubt it was swift.
I totally agree with New Yawk Mike: personally inspect the shipping containers, it's what I do everytime I send important mail. I always insist on inspecting the postal carrier's mailbag to make sure it's weatherproofed, I inspect the postal vehicles for mechanical integrity, I inspect the airplane(s) for air worthiness, any ships for sea worthiness, the paper factory that manufactured the envelope to assure quality there, and I usually hold hands with the postal delivery person as the delivery is made. That way I am assured my important package will arrive safely. I wouldn't mail my cocaine any other way.
What a sad, slow sadistic death these animals had to endure. Please let's do something that is no longer politically correct. Let's hold someone accountable.
Idiots at this handling company.
I've sent rescue dogs international via Continental in Houston without ever having a problem.
WTF, people?
This is a shame! Poor dogs go though all that training and then die because they are shipped with a shipper that had the IQ of a freakin gerbil. Who on earth would want to die in a sealed shipping container with no air, when they could have gone over to that rathole Afghanistan and blow themselves up on a IED ? Why don't they use captured Taliban to walk on IED's instead of dogs?
Because, you idiot, the point of a bomb-sniffing dog is to detect concealed bombs, not disarm them. I don't think captured Taliban fighters would do that job very effectively.
I think it's a good idea! Make those monsters walk on the roads and on the sides ahead of the vehicles, thereby defusing the bombs and getting rid of the monsters. Two for one:)
OTOH, whoever caused these poor dogs their deaths need to be held accountable. This was no accident but darn right negligence and ignorance. But then in a crate in a container with no way to escape would be just punishment. And to those that say these are just dogs well, they were living beings not a piece of furniture!
Norskejente -- yes, whoever packed those dogs into the shipping container needs to be held accountable. It is negligence, but not ignorance. Ignorant is unknowing, uneducated, unaware. But someone would have to be severely challenged not to understand that living beings in an unventilated sealed container will eventually run out of oxygen and die, and that the more living creatures held in that environment, the sooner the oxygen will run out.
It wasn't the shipper's ignorance that killed those dogs -- it was outright damnable stupidity. I hope they're held criminally liable.
What have you got against Gerbils? They're a heck of a lot smarter than these cretins.
LOL, fishin, I think you nailed it! Those poor dogs. The shipping company should pay for the dogs, and if any soldiers are killed in the interim while waiting for replacements, they should pay indemnities to the families that could have been saved by these dogs as well.
In the US, there is currently a ban on horse slaughter. If it is being done, it is being done illegally.
1) Horses are being abandoned by their owners, who in many cases cannot afford to feed them.
2) Many horses are being shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter but the transportation costs are high, so this industry is lobbying Congress to reinstate horse slaughter in the US so it will again be profitable.
Animals suffer when the economy goes south. Very sad.
If you want it screwed up send it to Houston.
If I invested that much effort and treasure in training such dogs, I would pay a handler to accompany them to final destination and delivery. Add the cost to the final invoice. It's not like there is fierce competition in this field - it is very specialized. Something like this is super-demoralizing for the trainers.
These shippers - I wouldn't pay them to ship anything more fragile than iron ore.
I cannot even imagine what these poor animals must have gone thru.
1.3 million isn't enough.
I know what you are thinking - dogs are not people - and no, they are not, they are BETTER than most people.
Totally agree!
These dogs WERE BETTER than most people. Intelligent, trustworthy, and loyal, can you honestly say you believe those traits are within the group of republicraps we presently have littering our newscape today.
agreed
I have read too many horror stories about animals dying in air transit. I would never put an animal in the airplane cargo hold. They say they take care of them, but stuff like this keeps happening.
They had no say in what job they got...but did it with loyalty...jerks like this better be punished!!! Animals DO have feelings and they do get scared and I just can't imagine what those poor things went through in their last moments...:( Shame on them!!! I can't believe someone didn't escort them!
Hey I've tried huffin some strange stuff but Man sniffin bombs is too far out for me Dude...yikes
STFU, unknown1. Have some respect. These are amazing, sensitive, intelligent animals left alone to die a torturous, panicked death, suffocating slowly over many hours. It's a real tragedy. And all you can do is make an idiotic joke.
maybe we should put the people that run the containers in the containers for a while and let them feel the pain those poor dogs did.
How an anyone be so fking stupid to put anything living into a closed container?
I think criminal charges should be filed.
I agree durt. wouldn't have happened if there were a couple hundred miskins were in the box with the dogs.
I bet that was one stinky crate when they opened it up. The same thing happened on Season 2 of the Wire.
Really, another moron making light of this story? As I said above, have some respect. These dogs are better than you - loyal, enthusiastic, disciplined, courageous, intelligent,, selfless - and someone left them to die a torturous, panicked death, suffocating slowly over many hours. And all you can think of is posting something "clever". Guess what, dude, you're not clever. All you did is embarrass yourself.
I'd love to ge ahold of you , you sick muther@!$%#er. I know your momma's proud of you. Ignorant bastard. This was meant for KYLEORTONSARN, sorry it ended up in the wrong slot.
You are an embarassment to the human race, you sick sonofabitch.
Effing thoughtless! If brains were C4, these azzhats couldn't blow their noses. Agree on the criminal charges but gee, the gov't sees these poor creatures (that were duly trained to save OUR lives) as expendible evidently. I bet we hear very little if anything after this. Embarrassing to belong to the human species sometimes. I want to come back as a horse for a day or two, kick butt, take names.
Interesting comment pheets .. thks
Wake up----are you mental, or what?! THIS story was about dogs. That is what the discussion is intended to be about. Not butterflies or 911 responders. We all appreciate that you are a card carrying member of PETA, but STFU already, moron!
Lock the idiots who let these poor dogs die in a box with Wake up for a few hours. That would be the ultimate hell!
I want to applaud the comments I've read!! There is still good people out there who are rightly astonished at this "accident". I think from now on, this company should send a chaperone with each and every shipment even if that is only one dog. Dogs are very special in many ways and they deserve humane treatment whatever thier role may be as a pet for a young boy are sniffing out explosives in a war zone. Think about the lives these dogs would have saved. I am a Native American Dakota/Sioux, we have special prayers for the four legged, I pray to the southern winds the nation of four-legged I pray, oh-han mitakuya-oyasin ( we are all related) Fourteen prayers to the morning star I pledge!
Thank you so much for your special prayers for these dogs. I will add my own special prayers of the Cherokee Nation.
Wesley...thank you...I have always felt there is a place for animals in such things...some even believe they have no souls...but if you've ever had a dog or cat or anything living in your household, you know that they do have souls...
Animals and children are the innocents in this world.
So what does PETA and the ASPCA have to say bout taking animals into a war zone and getting them killed.
well...
Once again, an example of socialists complaining about businesses and corporations that are tying to make a profit. So what if the dogs died? The company that had them charged to have them shipped and spent diddly on doing it and made lots and lots of money for its owners. That's the American way. If anyone expects to get the service they paid for, that's socialism. Suing the much maligned corporations and businesses that don't deliver in order to make money is just, well, socialism.
Troll...silly, idiotic troll. Don't feed the silly trolls.
Jerry, you are a very lost and confused individual. The owners made a huge investment in time and money to train these dogs and paid for the services they provided. These dogs were not owned by a social collective and certainly were not owned by the government. Thus your ranting about socialism makes absolutely no sense. Suing someone for the negligent handling of a dog causing the death of said animals is a form of deterrent of future mishandling. Just what the hell does that have to do with socialism. Fight against socialism, just understand what you are fighting against.
Jerry--please slowly step away from satire. It is a weapon only to be used by those with wit, not by the untutored.
Kids--leave the Juvenalian satire to the professionals. Don't try this at home.
Jerry. Thanks for your heartfelt (cough) post.
hmmm, no delete or cancel for our own comments. why not?
I think Jerry is being sarcastic. If so, I applaud. If not, get your butt in a sealed container ASAP and we will seal you in.
It's not the owners fault. It is the stupid shipping company that sealed the containers. They should have read their manifest. The shipping company should loose their license.
I think just about EVERYONE is agreeing it's the fault of the shipping company. I doubt there was malice involved. Probably at some point orders went through the hands of some pimply-faced minimum-wage schmuck to either wasn't told, or just plain "forgot," that the shipment was live animals who had to be shipped in a ventilated container.
BUT... I think the training company probably should have had someone on hand to SEE that the dogs were shipped correctly. No, it's not their fault LEGALLY - but morally... They had a moral responsibility to those dogs to be SURE they were shipped properly. Not just until they were handed off to the shipping company.
You know so many people think because they are an animal they don't feel pain, WTF!! They are livng creatures and i'm sure suffered greatly before death and these guys put them in an unventilated container in Houston!!! may they suffer a comparable fate.
If we could only put a dollar amount on the pain and suffering these dogs went through during their last hours. But given the geographical court(s) location, it's gonna be a shake hands, pay the $$$, and Fu#(< the dogs.
Only the 1st link below, is still active.
http://www.pettransport.com and
Live Animal Transportation Services dba Animal Port Houston----> website pulled /hiding.
These guys should do at least as much time as Michael Vick.
Wow, incredibly sad loss of life. They were valuable, loyal animals, and keeping them in sealed containers to suffocate is not only inhumane, but disgusting. An awful way for such amazingly intelligent animals to go.
I hope the greedy POS shipper goes out of business and that his name gets plastered all over the internet for this, so that he can never establish a new shipping company again and hurt more heroic animals!
Jail, not fine.....
http://dogkennelnearme.com/TX/Humble/16583/Indian-Creek-Enterprises-Inc
And interesting, also registered to pettransport.com just like the other company. I'm guessing Live Animal Transportation Services is a separate company to limit liability to Indian Creek Enterprises?
Gotta do some searching, as they are into many other cash opportunities. Went through a ton of searches just to find the connection to one.
Mail order dogs? The people who breed these dogs deserve to pay, severely, for this.
Uh, did you read the article AT ALL? They were trained for military service. This wasn't a puppy mill.
This may have been deliberate.
I agree. Considering where they were going and what their job was. Former military k-9 handler here.
I think in the case all of us Obama lovin liberals, ought to turn this case over to the old rednecks for some time honored justice, from the code of the west. What do you do when a man kills yer dog? See, we CAN all get along!
the company and men who mishandled and caused the criminally negligent deaths of these animals that exist only to save the lives of our men in conbat deserve years in prison to see that it does not recur and the dogs deserve a military funeral. The US government should be taken to task in an ideal world for this and deprived of dogs for war for a year, the government needs to be responsible for these K-9 WARRIORS OR STOP USING THEM.