Written question asked by William Bain (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 June 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 June 2010. It was answered by Lord Robathan (Conservative) on Wednesday, 16 June 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Dogs

Question: (2) how many dogs in the armed forces have been put down in the last 12 months; and for what reasons.

Answer: The Ministry of Defence accounting system does not hold financial data in the format requested.99 military working dogs have been put down in the last 12 months. 89 of these were for veterinary related problems, with the remainder due to behavioural issues, which is defined as turning on their handlers and being unsafe to work with.The Ministry of Defence gives dogs every possible training opportunity to correct such behaviour before resorting to euthanasia.

Secondary information