Canine veteran denied a home in Britain

London: He served his adopted country with pride and was shot five times in the line of duty. But Sandbag the dog has been left behind in Iraq, despite pleas for him to come home with returning British troops.

There are fears he could meet a sticky end. Iraqis have little regard for dogs and he could also be killed by one of the many packs of feral dogs.

More than 30,000 people signed up to a Facebook site to try to persuade officials to let him come to Britain. Another 6,000 signed up to a Downing Street petition. But the Government says it would cost around £3,000 to have him quarantined.