# Cincinnati police GSD dies after being left in hot vehicle



## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

Cincinnati police dog dies after being left in hot vehicle


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Tragedy...


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## squerly (Aug 3, 2008)

This is just horrible. My knee-jerk reaction is to hang the officer, but there may be more to this story than what was posted. So I'll reserve the "hang the jerk" attitude until we find out what happened.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Again?


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

Not again


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Jax's Mom said:


> Again?


That's what I though. How does this keep happening?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I seriously dont know how anyone could forget a dog or a child in their car. I truly dont. 

Wouldn't you notice if they were missing?

Unbelieveable


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## GSDMan (Sep 17, 2004)

I'd like to know more about the "family medical emergency" mentioned in the article before condemning this officer.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

wow, cops and dogs...yet another sad story. this like the 5th in a week or so


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Wow. I want to know more about it before I say chop his head off though...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

The dogs that are police k9's are worth several thousands after all the training they go thru, I'm surprised they are treated as a piece of equipment like they are.

I always see k-9's in police cars unattended with the air running, but what if the car stalled.... windows are shut tight and it takes just minutes for it to heat up. 
I hope the officer has a valid reason for this tragedy.
Rest in peace poor Juno. :halogsd:


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

This was a living breathing creature. How sad. I am starting to think cops and dogs shouldn't mix. But who knows.


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## Multiple Paws (Aug 27, 2009)

I have a hard time understanding how anyone could forget about a dog in a car.

Well, then again, recently, in our area a woman forgot her infant while she went shopping.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Our county lost one when the AC went out in the vehicle. So that does happen. This is why there should be some type of sensor hooked to the dog that will beep on the officer's cell phone or pager that lets him know the dog's environment is unsuitable.

This bitch was a pretty girl. So sad. 

What a waste. 

How much does the sensor thing cost NOW???

Some of these units will even open the vehicle to let the dog get out. 

We can crucify this officer, but it will not stop this from happening again, and again, and again. Maybe we can get some kids to get out their collecting tins for sensors for the police dogs. The kids have been doing pretty good with the vests.

ETA: I saw a cop come to the vet with a dog that was dying from being left in a hot car and he was discussing charging the dog owner. I would hope that the police officer that left the dog to bake is subject to the same law.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

They cost about 500 dollars a vehicle. They don't let the dog out of the vehicle, but they do roll down the windows. The ones we have are equipped with a high velocity fan. With the windows down and the fan blowing the dog will survive. Depending on the options, the unit blows the siren/horn and flashes the lights. Some have a pager option. The handler carries the pager and it goes off if the tempurature reaches a certain point. Ours are set at 92 degrees. It's really a shame somthing like this happens. Most of the time it can be avoided.

There was a comment about treating the dog as a piece of equipment. It's been my experience, program managers, such as myself, certainly view the dog as a piece of equipment. If it works, great. If it doesn't work, I try to fix it or I replace it. To the handler, the dog becomes their buddy, their partner. Yeah I know there have been a few that made the news. Not every K9 handler can be painted with the same brush. At any rate, there is a different relationship with a working dog. most people don't intentionally send their good buddy into a situation that could cause it serious injury or death. With a K9, it can be a frequent occurance. 

DFrost


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

$500 to save a dog's life. A dog that may have thousands of dollars in training in him. This piece of equipment can be transferred to a new vehicle or dog when necessary. It should just be considered a part of the cost of the dog. 

Are these dogs as important and useful as everyone says? Aren't they worth 500 crummy bucks? 

I work in a whole different type of work, electronic engineering. But we are building equipment that can injure or kill people if they do the wrong thing. So we dummy proof it. We do not just expect that someone will not do something careless or stupid, we make it impossible for someone to do a careless or stupid thing in normal use of the equipment. 

The one I liked best was that you had to unplug the back to get to the set screw for the cover. In the lab of course you have guys cutting down covers so they can get in there and mess around, but the end user would really have to go some to kill themselves on the equipment. 

You would think that police organizations would think that there is enough to expect their officers to keep track and having a signal to let them know their dog was in trouble would be an ordinary piece of safety equipment. 

Every department has a budget. Safety equipment for the dogs or safety equipment for the officers. But if you really need a dog, and you did not spend $500 to keep yours safe, and it dies, what the heck does that do to your budget????


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

selzer said:


> $500 to save a dog's life. A dog that may have thousands of dollars in training in him. This piece of equipment can be transferred to a new vehicle or dog when necessary. It should just be considered a part of the cost of the dog.
> 
> Are these dogs as important and useful as everyone says? Aren't they worth 500 crummy bucks?
> 
> ...


That $500 just went to waste.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

From what I remember Cincinnati had reduced their k9 program so funds are tight
Though I agree totally~ $500 to save the dog is nothing compared to the investment. I know many cities that cannot support the k9 programs and "borrow" from other agencies when the need arises.
IMO, these dogs are so needed, and the community I live in, the dogs are brought in several times a week and are successful in their efforts.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

The police department I live near if you want to be on the k9 unit it usually takes a while because they don't have the funds to have a full time one. I think more precaution needs to be taken for these dogs since they aren't like most "equipment".


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I think it should be required equipment, instead of optional if you have a police dog. 

They did not waste the $500. They wasted probably a couple of thousand for the dog, maybe a thousand in training, and more in experience, all because they did not want to waste $500 on a piece of safety equipment for the dog. 

So if your cell phone barks that your dog is in trouble and you are being life flighted with your wife or kid, can't you call someone and have them take care of making sure the dog is ok? If they had the equipment it would have at least rolled the windows down and gave the dog a fighting chance. 

So sad.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Here's the thing, around here they just said they would have to stop the k9 program, though I am not sure they did. The village police has some, but I think they are saying they are running it on donations. If you could find the right individual, you could probably have them donate the money for this type of cause.


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## Busty (Aug 2, 2010)

It sounds to me that the 'family emergency' is a cover up. I don't understand how, even in an emergency, you could just forget that your dog is in your car. ok, maybe for the first ten minutes of the emergency, but forgetting about the dog long enough for him to die... doubtful.
I'm not saying that the cop intentially murdered his dog, but the thought of this guy using the old 'ermergency' excuse to cover his negligence is sickening.
I would hope there are going to be repercussion to his actions (or lack there of), you know any other citizen would recieve some. And I really, REALLY hope that the PD doesn't let this guy control another animal. I say treat this guy like a cop killer.


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## Busty (Aug 2, 2010)

Multiple Paws said:


> I
> Well, then again, recently, in our area a woman forgot her infant while she went shopping.


lol, what an idiot.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I read something about young girl who decided to start a fundraiser to raise money so the department could get bullet proof vests for all the dogs in the unit after she heard about a police dog getting shot in the line of duty.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

Busty said:


> I say treat this guy like a cop killer.


Since killing a cop is a capitol offense and Ohio has the death penalty, you think this officer should be sentenced to a minimum of life in prison, or be executed? I think that's a bit harsh. 

DFrost


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Every year children and dogs die in hot cars. 

Unfortunately it is a fact. 

It is sad, yes. Much worse to leave a child in a car to die, because children who cannot get out of a car should not be left unsupervised. The dog, well, I can see it happening, stopped home to grab the mail and a pop and put the dog in the house, before going shopping, and totally forgetting that you did not take the dog in. 

My dogs are quiet as church mice in the back of my SUV. They rarely make any sound at all back there. I can see myself forgetting to drop them off. 

I generally see it as a tragedy. 

There is no penalty the law could impose that would make me feel worse than I already would. I do not look at it as cruelty or neglect because people forget things. They tend to think ahead about what is coming and will forget a step along the way. If something gets in the middle of their well thought out plan, like needing to buy gas, or having to follow a detour, or getting an upsetting piece of mail, you can forget what you had intended to do. 

It does not make you a murderer. But rather a very sorry individual. 

I bet this guy feels like a total dirt bag. He is probably having nightmares about it or is at least sick over it. I think there should be repercussions, but I expect that he will already be treated a lot worse than an ordinary citizen would. 

If your dog dies in a parking lot and the police are called, you will be charged with something most likely. But if your dog dies and the police are not called, you get home, wonder where the dog is, remember, run out to the car and the dog is dead in his crate, then you will bury it in the back yard and no one will ever know. 

With a police dog, I think that might be hard to do. He will probably be charged with some type of neglect or cruelty, and he will most likely have some type of admonishment, demotion, or fine at work as well. I would hate to see him lose his job, but I doubt they will assign him another dog any time soon. It will probably go on his record, that will follow him to another department. 

The rest of us would probably not have any problem with our jobs over something like this.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

If this handler was worth his salt, I can assure you he feels horrible. I don't understand departments that have K9 but won't buy the heat alarms. Tthey are not all that expensive. Condsidering the loss of a dog, it's pocket change. As one poster noted, they can be removed from a vehicle and placed in a new one when that time comes. Punishment, unless it was just outright negligence can range from "days off" to termination. Usually it's not a criminal offense. However under certain circumstances it can be. It's true things happen, it just hurts me to see this happen every year. 

DFrost


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## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

DFrost said:


> If this handler was worth his salt, I can assure you he feels horrible.


While I feel quite skeptical of law enforcement; and I reserve the right to change my mind and to remain skeptical; from some of the additional information I have seen I have some forgiveness for this officer. However this incident and other incidences like this I feel that police departments should change their policies to make occurrences like this less likely.

I heard the audio of the police officer making a statement and he sounded very remorseful and full of self guilt; so he’s either a very good actor or he is truly remorseful and full of self guilt. From the audio I heard and the glimpse of video that I saw of his statement; I would tend to have some forgiveness for this officer, his remorse and self guilt seems to be genuine IMAO.

It sounds like the police department has some vehicles equipped with ventilation systems and perhaps even pager systems to try to prevent dogs from being overheated; however allegedly for some reason this day the police officer was driving an SUV that was not equipped with such safety devices.

I’m not sure what the policy of this particular police department is; however many police departments don’t permit or encourage handlers to take their dogs home and to be part of the family. As I have said before I fear that the compartmentalization encourages forgetful pitfalls and reduces the amount of bonding between the handler and the dog. In the old days I have known law-enforcement dog handlers that had taken their dogs home and their bond seemed to be superior and this type of overheating deaths and other types of abuses seem to be virtually existent.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget or forgive the police officer that shut the cap on my pickup truck when I was in the bookstore on a hot summer day. Fortunately I basically caught him in the act and it didn’t have time to hurt my dog; if I had been in the store much longer it would’ve almost certainly tortured and killed my dog. That police officer should be fired.


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## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

News video


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## Hunther's Dad (Mar 13, 2010)

chicagojosh said:


> wow, cops and dogs...yet another sad story. this like the 5th in a week or so


Because the media is looking for them.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

DogGone said:


> I’m not sure what the policy of this particular police department is; however many police departments don’t permit or encourage handlers to take their dogs home and to be part of the family. .


Actually, the facts are quite the opposite. Most departments have their officers take the dog home. Simply because it's cheaper than having a centralized kennel. 

DFrost


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

What a tragic story. I'm sure the officer feels horribly...as do parents who leave their child in a hot car. While I don't understand it, I don't think it was intentional.

My heart breaks for everyone involved.


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## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

DFrost said:


> Actually, the facts are quite the opposite. Most departments have their officers take the dog home. Simply because it's cheaper than having a centralized kennel.
> 
> DFrost


On the contrary, I think it is you that is ignoring the facts. In the old days I’d never even heard of police dogs being routinely being kept in kennels or police official policies of mandating police dogs be kept in kennels while off duty.

It seems that more and more that police departments are choosing to take a politically correct bureaucratic litigative Avenue; whereas they often take their philosophies of control to the extreme and have a rather paranoid stance on liability. It seems they fear more of having an off duty dog being exposed to the public and being the source of a lawsuit; that they ignore the welfare of the dog and the effectiveness of the working ability of the dog.

One lawsuit could easily buy an entire kennel.

It seems since the more politically correct era that more police departments have mandatory off-duty kennel requirements. I think that’s part of the reason that it seems that more police officers are abusing their dogs and why dogs get more neglected and forgotten. I think that’s part of the reason that in recent years that more police dogs are dying of heat exposure.


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

DogGone said:


> I think that’s part of the reason that it seems that more police officers are abusing their dogs and why dogs get more neglected and forgotten. I think that’s part of the reason that in recent years that more police dogs are dying of heat exposure.


Is it that it's happening more often or, given the nature of the media and technology today, are we just more aware of it?

For instance, abuse happens all the time. But we didn't hear about it as much in the 40's and 50's. It didn't mean it wasn't happening, just that the ability to get information, talk about it, monitor it, etc. has changed.

People get caught more because of the technology and things available to monitor things. Not necessarily because more people are doing it. The way we get and process information has changed so we're hearing about more things. Doesn't mean it's happening more, IMO.

But, IMO, this was an accident. An accident that happens to people every day not just police officers. And it happens with parents leaving their children in a car. And these aren't parents who kennel their children.

IMO, a tragic accident, that could have happened to anybody, doesn't have to be made into an issue about cops and their dogs. Just because it happened to a cop, doesn't mean it happened because he was a cop.

JMO


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

DogGone said:


> On the contrary, I think it is you that is ignoring the facts.
> .


Well sir, you might think that. I'd just ask, where do you get your facts from. The facts that I do know indicate most police canine are kept at the officer's home. Certainly liability is a concern with any governmental agency (deep pockets, litigeous society etc) and some agencies do require the working dog to keep the dog in a kennel when it's not working. That kennel, however, is at the officer's home. I can name a number of departments off the top of my head including my 50 dog department, of which I am the K9 Director. In fact, other than U.S. Customs or ICE as it's now called, and the U.S Military, I can't name a police department that has a centralized kennel. Maybe NYPD. I noticed you were from Ohio, I know canine officers in most cities in Ohio take their dogs home. In fact, one was shot by a neighbor because it was in his yard threatening him. I believe that happened in Findlay. I bought a dog from a department in Ohio that had two dogs and lost them both to budget problem. It was a dual purpose patrol/drug Dutchie. Pretty good dog. Enlighten us please. Just the cities in Ohio with a centralized kennel would be start. 

DFrost


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## tonkatuff81 (Jul 13, 2010)

*Tragic end*

It sounds as though the officr had a lot on his plate with his son's medical emergency.

It's quite a shame though.


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## Baersmama (Jun 15, 2010)

What a shame. Quite a "mistake" to make.


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## ba1614 (Feb 17, 2010)

Quite a "mistake" indeed, tragic.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

The guy just forgot the dog was in the car, so a sensor would not have helped. Plus, he was only in the K9 unit for one year.

The weather here has been brutal this summer. Today it's in the mid-90s with almost 100% humidity. It's been like this for weeks.

There's a Cincinnati Police K-9 Officer living 2 streets down from me. His dog lives with him in the house (like a pet). However, he used to walk it off leash in the neighborhood when I first moved here and it bit a couple of other dogs.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Why would a sensor not have helped? A sensor on the dog's collar would have alerted him to the problem. I think it would have helped. 

A deal with a ventilation system and a fan would have kept the dog alive. 

But it sounds like the dog was in the wrong vehicle. Why did he use a different vehicle, one not equipped.

And if dogs generally have such a system that will prevent them from overheating, will police officers rely on it, and then when their cruiser is in the shop and they are using another, will they then maybe have a tragedy. 

Nothing is foolproof, but I think that we could reduce the number of incidents by requiring the equipment. 

The media cannot report on what is not there.

It sounds like this one is just a tragedy. 

Our sherriff's department has more dogs -- when they are not cutting the program, than our police department in town. Both departments have the dogs live at the handler's property. I have seen that some of these at least do have kennels. I do not see anything wrong with that. A centralized kennel would mean that the handler would have to travel to the centralized kennel and then to wherever the dog is required, which most likely would mean taking a lot more time. Also, on days the handler does not work, someone else would have to come in and feed and care for the dog. To me that does not make as much sense. I suppose you can have a kennel manager who would be in charge of all the dogs, feeding and cleaning after them. I think most handlers want to be in charge of that sort of think though.


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

I heard this story yesterday and it made me nauseous. I am a parent and I understand emergency situations are very stressful. I do feel for the police officer, because he lost a partner. However, Police Officers are trained to handle emergency and stressful situations. His canine was his partner, as I am sure the canine lived with the officer. (I am from Ohio and most K-9 officers take their dog home) With that said, aren't police officers supposed to look out for their partners? At some point the officer had to realize the dog was in the car and why didn't he call another officer to go and get the dog?? Just my thoughts.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It takes about 20 minutes for a dog to overheat in a car, maybe less. Read that somewhere. By the time he realized the dog was in the car, it was probably too late.


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## DFrost (Oct 29, 2006)

"Why would a sensor not have helped? A sensor on the dog's collar would have alerted him to the problem. I think it would have helped." 

"A deal with a ventilation system and a fan would have kept the dog alive."

The temperature monitoring units are installed in the vehicle. It consists of an electronic gadget that monitors the temperature inside the vehicle. Usually, these systems are powered through the ignition. If the ignition is turned off, the unit does not function. It's designed that way because K9 vehicles continue running the entire shift, during summer months. If the a/c were fail, the engine stall or anything else were to cause the temperature to rise above 92 degrees, the unit sounds an alarm, and rolls the window down. That by itself would be enough to keep the dog alive until the handler could take action. Some of the newer units do have a pager option. The pager option initiates an alarm, on a pager, carried by the officer. Another option is a high velocity fan that is attached to the window. When the system activates, it gives an alarm, rolls the window down and starts the fan. The rear windows have sturdy screens attached so the dog can not exit the vehicle. Some of our vehicles are equipped with automatic door openers, but those are for handler protection. The handler can open the door by pressing a button he carries with him. The alarm is usually the lights flashing and the horn/siren blaring. I'm not mentioning brand names intentionally as I'm not permitted. The ones we use though are $499.00 per unit, fan included. A small investment considering what they are protecting. 

DFrost


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