Shelter worker fired for euthanizing war hero dog

PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona animal shelter worker who accidentally euthanized a dog hailed as a war hero was fired on Friday, county officials said.

Pinal County officials said the employee was terminated following an investigation into the incident on Monday in which a shepherd mix named Target was mistakenly put down after getting loose and spending a weekend at the shelter.

The female shelter worker was not named "due to threats made against the employee in online article comments and in telephone calls to the county," according to a written statement released by Pinal county spokesman Joe Pyritz.

Pyritz said she had worked for the shelter for less than a year.

Target's story of heroism gained her a spot in the local media and an appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show," where the dog was celebrated along with two other canines for attacking a suicide bomber apparently headed for a U.S. military barracks in Afghanistan with 50 soldiers inside.

According to Winfrey Show website, Target and two other stray dogs, Sasha and Rufus, were adopted by U.S. troops in Afghanistan after wandering into a military compound there.

Sasha was badly injured when the bomber detonated an explosive device and had to be euthanized, but Target and Rufus survived and were brought home with soldiers returning from their tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The county is continuing to looking into its policies and procedures "to ensure that something like this cannot happen again," said Lisa Garcia, an assistant county manager.

(Editing Dan Whitcomb, Editing by Peter Bohan)