FORT MEADE, Md. (Reuters) – Two U.S. dog handlers in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison used unmuzzled dogs to threaten prisoners and competed to see who could make inmates urinate on themselves, according to testimony at a military hearing on Tuesday.
Sgt. Santos Cardona, 31, and Sgt. Michael Smith, 24, are suspected of intentionally scaring detainees at the infamous Baghdad prison between November 2003 and January 2004 during the height of the prison-abuse scandal.
Tuesday’s proceedings for the dog handlers at Fort Meade military base outside Washington were part of an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a pretrial hearing that determines whether the two sergeants face courts-martial.
Disturbing photos of dogs barking and growling at inmates were broadcast worldwide and became a focal point of the abuse scandal. In other trials, several U.S. soldiers have already been sentenced for abusing prisoners, with jail terms up to 10 years.
According to statements given to military investigators last year, U.S. intelligence personnel ordered military dog handlers to use unmuzzled dogs to intimidate detainees at Abu Ghraib.
Smith and Cardona told investigators that military intelligence personnel asked them to bring their dogs to prison interrogation sites. The use of unmuzzled dogs to humiliate and intimidate detainees is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Pvt. Ivan Frederick, convicted of abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib, testified that Cardona and Smith were brought in to frighten prisoners. Frederick is serving an eight-year prison term at Fort Leavenworth prison in Kansas.
He said in one instance Cardona’s dog bit an inmate twice on the left and right thighs. The inmate was suspected of trying to escape the prison and had lunged at one of the guards, he said.
“He (Cardona) released his dog and it bit him on the left thigh area,” said Frederick.
He said the frightened detainee had tried to run out of the cell and the dog was set on him a second time.
Frederick said the military police dog handlers told him they were in a competition to see how many detainees they could scare into urinating and defecating on themselves.
“They were kind of laughing about it,” Frederick said.
Cardona’s civilian defense lawyer Harvey Volzer said Frederick was testifying in a bid to have his sentence reduced and cast doubt on his testimony.
Another witness, Spec. John Ketzer, also testified by telephone and said the dogs had been used to frighten two juvenile detainees.
From centuries dogs have been the man’s best friends. Whether they are serving us at the military camps, police headquarters, our homes or other places, dogs have been serving human beings like no other can do. They have been helping us, protecting us and entertaining us. When some pet do so much for us, it then indeed deserves some special treatment. And when we talk about giving our dogs some thing special the key fact that strikes our mind is the Dog Diet. Gone are the days when the dogs were fed with the human left overs. Today there is a great range of variety that is available with the Dog Food as it is available with the human cuisine. All you have to do is make a proper selection for the dog food and serve it with the best food stuff available. When you have to prepare a diet chart for your dog there are a few things that you need to take care of. You can visit https://www.bellaandduke.com/ for more information.
When you have got a pet dog at your home, irrespective of its breed you have to be very careful in selecting the proper dog food so as to keep it healthy and strong. Your dog needs to be fed with a diet that has balanced nutritional value. Make sure that your dog diet doesn’t become deficient with essential nutrients.
One thing you need to make clear is that dogs are carnivorous and feeding them with the vegetarian diet only is not a good option. Make sure you make a good blend of both to serve your dog a good diet. Ensure that the Dog Diet has ample amount of protein in it. If you are feeding your dog with canned food make sure that the first ingredient is meat. Take a look at the nutrition label before purchasing a canned food for your dog. But never completely rely over the canned food for your dog.
Some veterinarians and animal nutritionists would advocate bone and raw food (BARF) diet. This type of Dog food is supposed to increase the dog’s longevity and flexibility. When you are feeding your dog with meat but what kind of meat is good for your dog? Some nutritionists would advise to limit the proportion of red meat in Dogs Diet. This made people supply their dogs with lean meat like chicken.
Most importantly feeding your dog in proper proportions is quite necessary because when you are over feeding you dog it will lead to obesity and certain other health problems. An inadequate diet can lead to joint and bone problems. So ensuring a proper Dog Diet proportion is very crucial in making your dog healthier.
