Well, cutting the ears off of, and stabbing dogs doesn't do much for their reputation either.
On the other hand I've never been to Iraq, just Afghanistan. They just beat the piss out of 'em there, our doggie Rosco used to hang out on post with us at night and bark if she saw anything. You show them a little love and feed them some MRE's/remove the ticks, and they are ultra-loyal to you.