Thread: How the ADF kept saga of Sabi the wonder dog on a tight leash

DOG bites man is not news. Cute Aussie dog found after being missing in action in an Afghan war zone for more than a year, that's news.

The story of Sabi the bomb-detecting dog had everything - courage, endurance, loyalty, survival, a cute dog, good news from a war going bad.

Human news-hounds lapped it up, and the story that the Australian Army labrador had been found, 14 months after disappearing in a chaotic battle, went around the world.

Kevin Rudd and US commander General Stanley McChrystal pat Sabi. Photo: Andrew Meares

It was a story that wrote itself, even if it was scripted by the Australian Defence Force.

But The Sunday Age can reveal that the ADF sat on the Sabi story for two weeks before unleashing it - on the day Prime Minister Kevin Rudd visited Afghanistan.

Then, when the story was let loose, the ADF incorrectly stated when Sabi was found.

And the head of defence public affairs, Brigadier Brian Dawson, didn't correct the record because, according to a defence spokesperson, he didn't know the date of Sabi's return. Which is odd, as the date is in captions of ADF photos of Sabi, posted on the ADF website ultimately controlled by the brigadier.

The captions reveal Sabi was back in familiar hands, gnawing on chicken legs at the Australian base at Tarin Kowt, and identified as a canine comrade, on October 28.

But news of her miraculous survival was not released until 16 days later - last Wednesday, November 11. Remembrance Day. It was also the day Mr Rudd and US commander General Stanley McChrystal happened to be visiting Tarin Kowt. They were pictured patting the dog, which Mr Rudd noted was ''a genuinely nice pooch''.

The story was given to reporters travelling with Mr Rudd and made it into Thursday's papers.

On Thursday, the ADF issued a press release saying Sabi had been recovered ''last week'' - which would have put it some time between November 1 and November 7.

She had been found by a US soldier and taken to Tarin Kowt, where an Australian dog trainer ''knew instantly'' it was Sabi.

The press release had the Canberra media baying for more, so Brigadier Dawson held a rare news conference. ''I mean, this is obviously a great story and we're very pleased that we can share it with you,'' he said.

One reporter sniffed sceptically around the timing of the story, asking if it had been announced deliberately to coincide with the PM's visit, given that, in the reporter's words, ''the dog was located last Friday'' (November 6).

Brigadier Dawson didn't correct the reference to November 6, but he did deny any link to the official visit.

It was ''sheer serendipity'', he said. Defence had to ensure ''we had all the facts straight'' before releasing the story, and the fact it was announced during the PM's visit was ''really just an accident''.

An ADF spokesperson denied, in an email to The Sunday Age, that the release of the story had been co-ordinated with the PM's office. The spokesperson said the two-week delay in releasing the news was due to the need to confirm Sabi's identity, physical condition and quarantine requirements for her return to Australia.

''The ADF was aware that this information would be required to manage media interest in the story,'' the spokesperson said.

The official said defence regretted that the ADF press release incorrectly stated that Sabi had been recovered ''last week''.

The time reference was correct when the release was drafted, the official said, but was ''outdated'' by the time it was issued. This would indicate that the ADF sat on its own press release for a week.

Asked why Brigadier Dawson had not corrected the record at Thursday's news conference, the official said: ''Brigadier Dawson was not aware of the exact date of Sabi's return and was therefore not in a position to be specific about it.''

The day Brigadier Dawson held his news conference, the ADF posted pictures of Sabi on its website. They were taken on October 28 and show Sabi having a bath, being fed, and playing a ball game with her trainer. The fact she remembered the game ''provided additional immediate proof of Sabi's identity'', a caption said.

The Age

TOM HYLAND
November 15, 2009

How the ADF kept saga of Sabi the wonder dog on a tight leash