The unusual back-and-forth regarding the sex of the hero dog made nearly everyone barking mad.
ADVERTISEMENTCall it the latest gender reveal stunt gone wrong.
The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that Conan, the Belgian Malinois who helped U.S. special forces killIslamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was in fact male after an unusual back-and-forth regarding the sex of the hero dog made nearly everyone barking mad.
The "tough cookie" — as President Trump called him — was initially identified as female, but administration officials later reversed course and said the dog is male. That was followed by a defense official telling ABC News that Conan is female, which was later corrected.
Trump referred to Conan using male pronouns when he presented him with a medal and a plaque in a ceremony with Vice President Mike Pence in the White House Rose Garden on Monday.
"So this is Conan, right now probably the world's most famous dog," Trump, who has said he's not a dog person, told reporters. "Conan did a fantastic job. We're very honored to have Conan here."
Trump said Conan had already gone out on other "important raids" since the al-Baghdadi mission, despite his injuries.
Conan was injured while pursuing al-Baghdadi when he came into contact with cables in a tunnel underneath a compound in northwestern Syria. After recovering, Conan was returned to active duty.