Nov 13, 2009: Sabi

[xoxoxoBruce]

For Friday the 13th, some good luck... for Sabi.
No, not half of wabi-sabi, Sabi is an Aussie, bomb sniffing, Black Labrador Retriever.

The 10-year-old black Labrador, trained to detect explosives, was declared missing in action after a battle in Oruzgan Province in Afghanistan almost 14 months ago. Sabi became separated from her patrol when it was ambushed by the Taliban. Nine Australian soldiers including her handler were wounded and SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery during the firefight on September 2 last year.
Sabi was on her second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Another article said she was 4 years old, and they spent considerable time and effort trying to find her, to no avail.
But not to worry, here comes Uncle Sam.

Last week an American soldier — named only as John — spotted the dog close to an isolated outpost in the northwest of the province. Officials said he knew the Australians had lost a dog, and it matched her description so he called her towards him. “I took the dog and gave it some commands, and it understood,” he said.

Sabi was airlifted to the Australian headquarters in the provincial capital, Tarin Kowt. She was then reunited with the Army’s working dogs unit. Army vets are testing the dog for diseases, but Brigadier Brian Dawson from the Australian Defence Force, said she appeared in good health despite living wild — suggesting that someone may have been feeding her. Pedigree dogs are prized for fighting in some parts of Afghanistan and can fetch prices of more than $2,000 (£1,200), it is reported.

And Sabi lives happily ever after.

In another article...

Sabi's story of survival came as no surprise to Katherine MacDonald, who has four Labradors and runs Labrador Rescue, which matches abandoned Labradors with new families in the ACT region.
''Labs will thrive anywhere. All they need is food, water and human companionship and they're as happy as pigs in mud,'' she said.

Food, water, and human companionship?
Wow, Kathrine, whodda thunk it... makes them different form every other breed of dog, eh? You must be a real expert on dogs.

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