Armed Forces: Dogs
(asked on 20th July 2016) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military working dogs have been euthanized by his Department in the last 12 months.
A total of 62 Military Working Dogs were euthanised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) during the 12 month period up to June 2016. Figures by month are provided in the table below.
2015 | July | August | September | October | November | December |
| 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 8 |
2016 | January | February | March | April | May | June |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Decisions to euthanise any animal in military service are only taken by a veterinarian officer after all possible treatment avenues have been exhausted and where it is considered to be the most humane option for the animal. The only other scenario where an animal would be euthanised is where it is considered to pose a risk to public safety.