Outrageous: England's Royal Air Forces Euthanize Prince William's Guard Dogs

The prince retired, and the dogs were euthanized. The RAF is saying it's a "coincidence."

During his seven years as a search-and-rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force, British heir to the throne Prince William had two dogs protecting him: Brus, a seven-year-old Belgian Shepherd, and Blade, a nine-year-old German Shepherd. They patrolled the North Wales base “in a two-dog section set up specifically to protect William,” according to the Sun. 

As you may know, William retired from service last week. Three days after he did so, the two dogs were euthanized. 

The Ministry of Defense thinks it did nothing wrong. 

“The department’s policy is to rehome all military working dogs at the end of their service life wherever practicable,” a MoD spokesman told the Daily Mail. “Regrettably, however, there are occasions when they have to be put down.” 

What occasions are those? 

"Unfortunately, in this case the dogs were unsuitable for rehoming or alternative duties and so sadly, for the animal’s welfare, they had to be put down."

What does that mean? Well, a source told the Daily Mail that the dogs "were too aggressive to be kept at home" and that they couldn't be reassigned to other duties because the dogs "had a record of veterinary and behavioral issues." 

We don't have a full accounting of that reason, but on the face of it: ridiculous. A military base couldn't train a dog? It's not like it's a place dedicated to training. And what "veterinary issues" couldn't a military base handle, really, with the government footing the bill? More information about this needs to come out.

The RAF is claiming that the euthanasias were in no way related to the Prince leaving, and that the Prince did not work with the dogs. 

"To be clear, they were RAF Valley security patrol dogs, not sole protection for Prince William," the source said. "The timing of their sad demise is purely coincidental." 

That source was quick to reassure the Daily Mail reporter that at least someone loved the dogs. 

"These dogs had played an invaluable role offering security to our personnel over many years and were much loved by their handlers, who had an extremely strong bond with them."

Prince Williams has made no comment. At home, he and Kate spend their lives with Lupo, a black Cocker Spaniel.

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Oops: Royal Canin Accidentally Sponsors Savage Bear Baiting Events in the Ukraine

In the contests, dogs fight bears -- and trophies were handed out by the dog food maker. The company says it didn't know the true nature of the events it sponsored.

Royal Canin makes food for cats and dogs. It promotes itself with the slogan "respecting the animal nature of dogs and cats." Judging by the bear-baiting contests it has sponsored in Ukraine, the company has a horrible awareness of the animal nature of dogs. 

Here's what a bear-baiting contest consists of, as seen in a video obtained by the animal welfare group Four Paws: A bear, with his claws removed, is chained to a tree, and dogs are set upon it, biting and attacking the bear. The bear became becomes exhausted and terrified, foaming at the mouth. Men restrict the movements of the bear by pulling on the chain. 

All this takes place in a space demarcated with Royal Canin tape. Trophies, emblazoned with the Royal Canin logo, are given to the dogs judged the bravest. 

It's a horrific, nearly inconceivable story. The animal welfare group Four Paws uncovered Royal Canin's involvement in these sick events last May, and released the footage showing the contest on July 23. Royal Canin has said it ceased its involvement in the contests when Four Paws approached them in May. 

The brown bear is protected by law in Ukraine, but Four Paws says that there are bear baiting contest four to six times a year, and estimates there are 15 to 20 "baiting bears" in Ukraine. Sourced from zoos, circuses and the wild, the bears are taken from their mothers when they are young.

"They live cruel lives in tiny cages with nothing but a concrete floor, and they are only released from these cages for training or to be attacked by hunting dogs," a spokesman for the charity said, according to the Daily Mail. "They are usually given insufficient food and water, to make them weaker opponents for the dogs."

Four Paws says it has evidence that Royal Canin sponsored "one than one event," according to the Observer.

In a statement to the Observer, the company said, "Royal Canin has been absolutely horrified to see these images linked with our brand. The sponsorship of this event is not consistent with Royal Canin's animal welfare policy, our philosophy of pet-first or our vision." 

Royal Canin also said that it knew of the bear-baiting event in the video -- after Four Paws altered the company about it in May. Royal Canin said it immediately stopped sponsoring the event, and it "reminded sales and marketing staff of its policy on animal welfare and sponsorship due diligence."

However, the company said it hadn't seen the video at that time, and didn't know the true nature of the event. Now, the company says it has "pledged to work to improve the welfare of Ukrainian bears and dogs involved in bear-baiting."

"This has been a humbling experience for Royal Canin," the statement said. 

It should be. It's inconceivable that a dog food company would be involved in fighting dogs and the torture of bears. Kudos to Four Paws. The group is still pressing on Royal Canin to do something to improve the life of bears affected by bear baiting in Ukraine, and is awaiting a meeting with the company.

 Via the Observer and the Daily Mail

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