Blackwater, the private security company recently accused of killing people, is in big trouble. I mean big, big trouble. Now, they're accused of killing a dog. And not just any dog, but a dog belonging to the New York Times! So much for the PR blitz. Reuters reports on this latest bizarre twist of the Blackwater saga:

Staff at the newspaper's Baghdad bureau said Blackwater bodyguards shot Hentish dead last week before a visit by a U.S. diplomat to the Times compound. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said the dog had attacked one of Blackwater's bomb-sniffer dogs while a security team was sweeping the compound for explosives. "The K-9 handler made several unsuccessful attempts to get the dog to retreat, including placing himself between the dogs. When those efforts failed, the K-9 handler unfortunately was forced to use a pistol to protect the company's K-9 and himself," she said in an e-mail to Reuters.

Frankly, I'm more of a cat person myself, but shooting an unarmed mut seems a tad extreme. I mean, ever heard of pepper spray? Anyhow, doesn't matter whose fault it is: Blackwater has no idea what they're in for. Animal lovers can get nutty.

Don't believe me? Note that Reuters gives the name of the lovable pup, "Hentish." How often do we learn the names of dead Iraqis?

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