Plea To Save Hero Dog From Afghan War

[Swiss Girl]

Plea to save hero dog from Afghan war

* Kelly Ryan

* From: Herald Sun

* May 20, 2010 12:00AM

SHE dodged Taliban bombs in Afghanistan and somehow miraculously survived being lost and living with the enemy.

But her supporters fear heroic army bomb dog Sarbi could come home in a box.

Australian Defence Force Trackers and War Dogs Association president George Hulse has called on quarantine officials to speed up the elderly black labrador's repatriation home - before she dies of old age languishing in war-torn Afghanistan.

Sarbi the Australian Army explosive detection dog made international headlines when she was discovered in Afghanistan, 14 months after fleeing when a rocket exploded near her, injuring nine Australian soldiers, including her handler.

She was rescued late last year by a US soldier who recognised her as a trained military dog and was reunited with her troops. Australia's strict quarantine laws have meant she has not been allowed home until she gets a veterinary all-clear.

But Mr Hulse, a retired lieutenant-colonel, said Sarbi had earned her repatriation and hopes authorities would act quickly to clear her for a return home.

"She's a K9 soldier who has done her tour of duty and she's either still got a role as a working explosives detection dog or for use in training," Mr Hulse said.

"Either that or bring her home to a well-earned retirement. She's more than 70 years old in dog years and she's more than earned the right to put her paws up."

Sarbi is set to star again with an official portrait in oil featuring at a new art exhibition at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Melbourne artist Lyndell Brown and husband Charles Green are the war memorial's official artists. They joined our troops to capture images of war in paint and photographs.

"With Sarbi, we thought it would be a marvellous way of commemorating her story," Ms Brown said.

"It's an incredible story of hope from the field of tragedy that is modern warfare and it is something that ordinary people can relate to."

The exhibition Framing Conflict: Iraq and Afghanistan will be held at the Australian War Memorial from May 21 to August 18.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/...6-1225868920634