As has been previously reported, the mercenaries in the employ of Blackwater, a private security firm doing business in Iraq on our behalf, have gotten into hot water over shooting random civilians in the course of their duty, which seems to be shooting random civilians.

But now, they've gone too far.

They shot the New York Times' dog.

Reuters reports: "Staff at the newspaper’s Baghdad bureau said Blackwater bodyguards shot (the dog named) Hentish dead last week before a visit by a U.S. diplomat to the Times compound.

"Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said the dog had attacked one of Blackwater’s bomb-sniffer dogs while a security team was sweeping the compound for explosives.

"'The K-9 handler made several unsuccessful attempts to get the dog to retreat, including placing himself between the dogs. When those efforts failed, the K-9 handler unfortunately was forced to use a pistol to protect the company’s K-9 and himself,' she said in an e-mail to Reuters.

OK, killing civilians is one thing. Killing a dog is another. I predict Blackwater will be in a world of trouble over this one.