US war dogs now guaranteed safe return home after serving

US military service dogs now have a legal right to be returned safely home after finishing their deployments overseas.

Most war dogs were previously “retired overseas”, because they did not qualify for military-funded transportation home to the US once they concluded their working lives.

But a new bill signed last month by President Obama has guaranteed a homecoming for all courageous pups, reports the Washington Times.

“We do not know the full story of what has happened to military dogs left overseas after retirement,” Mark Stubis, a spokesman for the American Humane Association, told the newspaper.

Mr Stubis said the dogs were either adopted by military staff living abroad, by local people in the area they finish their service in, or in worst cases, were abused.

The provision, included in the 2016 Defense Department budget bill, will also make it easier for battlefield handlers to formally adopt the animals they worked with in the line of duty.