Oh boy? Confusion over gender of ‘hero’ dog injured in IS raid
Confusion over the gender of the dog that helped US forces kill Abu Bakr al Baghdadi may finally be resolved – after the Pentagon confirmed he is male.
Contradictory statements about Conan have been pinging back and forth since the canine appeared with President Trump at the White House on Monday.
The president used male pronouns as he heaped praise on the Belgian Malinois, who appeared to take a particular shine to Vice President Mike Pence.
Conan was hurt when he was exposed to electrical wires while chasing the former IS leader at his Syria compound – but is now back at work.
However, shortly after the dog’s moment in the spotlight, a White House official contradicted the president’s language and said the dog was female – before switching the gender back to male just a few hours later.
The water was muddied further on Tuesday when Pentagon officials told ABC News that Conan was a girl.
🚨UPDATE: Two defense officials have now contacted us to say Conan is *for sure they say* a BOY. One official said they triple checked.
I guess the important thing here is that Conan, boy or girl, is a good dog who did excellent work with the US military.
The end. https://t.co/bSQJifnMxx
— Elizabeth McLaughlin (@Elizabeth_McLau) November 26, 2019
Bordering on the farcical, two more defence officials waded in almost immediately to correct that report, telling ABC they had “triple checked” and that Conan “for sure” is a boy.
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Twitter debate continues though, with some claiming photos of the dog clearly show it’s female, and US senator Ted Cruz joking: “Actually, she identifies as a cat.”
But surely the clue’s in the name?
