Bomb-Sniffing Dog Hailed for Saving Dozens of Lives

The Colombian military says Sanson's days as a bomb-sniffing dog are over, but his last mission may have saved the lives of dozens of soldiers and hundreds of civilians. Sanson, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, had to have a leg amputated after a bomb he detected during an operation in northwest Colombia blew up, El Tiempo reports. The military says the blast shattered one of Sanson's legs but he managed to drag himself to his handler.

• In a post on X, the Second Division of the National Army said Sanson was injured while "conducting military reconnaissance and territorial control operations." He "lost one of his limbs but saved the lives of 36 soldiers and hundreds of residents of the La Raya hamlet ... who pass through this area daily."

• The military said the bomb was planted by the National Liberation Army—ELN—a holdout leftist guerrilla group with an estimated 6,000 fighters, CBS News reports. The ELN was also blamed for an attack last week in which a bomb strapped to a donkey killed one soldier and injured two others.
• The military said Sanson is recovering from surgery. "He will no longer be able to serve, but his legacy will live on in every soldier he bravely protected," the army said. El Tiempo reports that his trainer "remains by his side, strengthening the bond formed over more than a year and a half of working together."