Trump administration was forced to confirm the sex of a special forces dog is indeed male after flip-flopping on its gender, prompting confusion

Down, boy: how Trump and Conan got embroiled in dog gender controversy

The White House entered day two of an unexpected controversy on Tuesday, as the Trump administration was forced to confirm a “hero” special forces dog called Conan is male – after a report cited a Department of Defense official claiming the dog was female.

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The sex of Conan, who took part in the raid which killed the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first came under scrutiny following a White House ceremony on Monday.

The dog, a Belgian Malinois, was at the White House to be honored for its role in the October raid. Donald Trump presented Conan with a certificate and medal, using male pronouns as he praised the canine’s courage and aptitude.

Shortly afterwards, the White House issued a correction: Conan was actually female.

Hunter Walker (@hunterw) Very important correction to my earlier poll reports. Conan The Dog is a very good girl. pic.twitter.com/jWv82ox0MJ

That prompted intrigue as to how the president could have got Conan’s sex wrong. But just two hours later, the White House issued a second correction. Conan was in fact male, an official said, meaning Trump had been right all along.

On Tuesday, just as the furore was beginning to die down, there was a further development: ABC News reported that Conan “is in fact a girl”.

The report resurfaced speculation as to Conan’s real sex – and whether Trump staff had changed their account so as to make the president appear correct.

In a series of emails with the Guardian, however, a White House official insisted Conan is male. This was supported by US Special Operations Command, which told the Guardian in a statement: “Conan is a male dog.”

On Monday, amateur sleuths had launched investigations into Conan’s gender, largely by examining photos of the dog’s crotch:

Laura McLain (@LauraK9doc) Gender reveal: girl dog#ConanTheDog #Conan #dogs

Just because Trump called it a boy, you can’t rewrite biology. pic.twitter.com/j6ZGAsZWT7

Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) Here is a photo of Conan. Next to it is a close up showing that SHE is a female.



Please, @hunterw @markknoller and all poolers, stop carrying Trump’s water on this. #BadBitchesForAmerica pic.twitter.com/sXhdXkAbEP

On Tuesday, the White House was sticking to its second version of Conan’s gender although an official offered no explanation for the confusion.

It also turned out the dog’s trainer, interviewed by the Dutch news organization RTL Nieuws shortly after the Baghdadi mission, referred to Conan as male.

Conan was injured in the 26 October raid but is said to have made a full recovery. Before the dog sex controversy, Monday’s ceremony had largely passed without incident.

Trump praised Conan as “brilliant, so smart”, a “ tough cookie” and “the ultimate fighter”. In a White House transcript, Trump said he had witnessed what Conan was capable of.

“I got to see how fast Conan can move. I said: ‘What chance would a strong man have – really strong, tough, a fighter – what chance would this person have against Conan, without the guns? What chance?’

“And I guess the answer, pretty much, was ‘none’. He would have no chance. So, it’s amazing.”