war dogs: November 2009 Archives
A story moved today about Sabi, a "sniffer" dog that went missing in action after a battle in Afghanistan 14 months ago.
The black Labrador has been found alive and well in the desert:
Sabi was with a joint Australian-Afghan army patrol when it was ambushed by Taliban militants in September 2008. Nine soldiers were wounded in the ensuing gun battle, which earned one Australian SAS trooper the country's highest bravery award. But there was no sign of the bomb-sniffing dog after the battle in a remote area of Uruzgan province.
Soldiers searched for the 4-year-old dog for nine months, but never found her. Then, last week, a U.S. serviceman spotten a dog with an Afghan man at an isolated patrol base.
The military-trained animal was handed over and she was returned to her unit at the Australians' base.
"Having Sabi back gives some closure for the handler and the rest of us that served with her in 2008," said Mark Donaldson, the SAS trooper awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing a cwounded interpreter during the battle. "It's a fantastic morale-booster for the guys."
Sabi''s handler recounted the moments when he was reunited with the dog: "I nudged a tennis ball to her with my foot and she took it straight away. It's a game we used to play over and over during her training. it's amazing, just incredible, to have her back."
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.