The White House says Conan, the hero dog that helped take down the leader of ISIS, is female

White House

Conan.

• The White House on Monday said Conan, the military working dog that helped take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October, is female.
• Speculation over Conan's gender ensued after President Donald Trump tweeted her name and a photo of her after the raid.
• But former military dog handlers and canine experts were at odds over whether Conan was male or female.
• "I've seen the photo of the dog," a former military dog handler told Business Insider after the raid. "If you blow up that photo, it's not a female dog - it's a male dog."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Conan, the military working dog that helped take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northwest Syria in October, is female, a White House official confirmed to reporters on Monday, appearing to settle a debate that developed after President Donald Trump tweeted a photo of the dog after the raid.

Conan was awarded a medal and a plaque by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on Monday. Trump, Pence, and Conan walked out to the White House lawn, where the president described Conan as "the world's most famous dog" who had an "incredible story."

Trump said he thought it was a good idea to "put a muzzle on the dog" because of its "violent" tendencies, though the dog was unmuzzled throughout the ceremony. The president's remarks did not deter Pence, who petted Conan several times on her head.

There was speculation over Conan's gender after Trump released her name and a photo of her in an abrupt tweet after the raid. But former military dog handlers and canine experts were still at an impasse, with some intensely examining the photo.

"I've seen the photo of the dog," a former military dog handler told Business Insider after the raid. "And if you blow up that photo, it's not a female dog - it's a male dog."

Trump and senior military officials also mistakenly referred to Conan using male pronouns.

"Conan was very badly hurt as you know, and they thought maybe he was not to recover," Trump said Monday, referring to injuries the dog received when she touched exposed electrical wires during the raid. "Recovered very quickly and has since gone on very important raids."

Conan is a Belgian Malinois, the same breed used in the 2011 raid against al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The dog is named after comedian Conan O'Brien, according to a Newsweek report.