Army dogs who served in Afghanistan 'to be put down'
Two Army dogs who retired after serving in Afghanistan are to be put down because they cannot be re-homed, it has been reported.
Kevin and Dazz worked with troops to locate explosives in Helmand Province and retired four years ago.
The Belgian shepherds are due to face lethal injections next week, but former soldiers and handlers have called for the decision to be reversed, according to the Sun.
They have now written to the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire - where the dogs have been working with trainees since being retired - to save the pair.
A petition has been launched by Andy McNab - a former SAS soldier and author - in a bid to stop the duo being put down, as well as a third canine, a former police dog named Driver.
On the site, he wrote: "Dogs like Kevin, Dazz and Driver are an asset when they are serving but they even more of an asset when they are retired.
"We owe them every chance possible to be housed and not killed."
He praised service dogs for saving "countless lives when I was in the Special Air Service sniffing out explosives".
"In Afghanistan when I was on a patrol the dogs found an IED in front of us, I was number three in line, I was very, very lucky to survive."