[Goosehunter]

This is just unacceptable behavior, how in the world does this happen?

K-9 Dies After Being Locked In Squad Car
Pa. K-9 dies after being locked in squad car
Updated: JULY 12, 2016 — 3:41 PM EDT
by Lauren Feiner

A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections drug-detecting dog died of heat exposure on Thursday after being locked in a squad car, according to news reports.

The dog was mistakenly locked in a squad car for two and a half hours while in the care of its Department of Corrections handler, said a report by PennLive.

K9
Two-year-old yellow lab Totti.
Department Spokeswoman Amy Worden told the news site that two-year-old yellow lab Totti was left in the car at the state prison at Rockview.

At 12:15 p.m., Sgt. Chad Holland, the dog’s handler, had stored training materials in the car after a training exercise, Worden told Penn Live, not realizing until 2:44 p.m. that the dog had been locked in. Handlers and Drug Interdiction Unit staff used ice and a hose to try to cool the dog off, Penn Live reported.

While the dog was conscious when he was taken to a veterinary clinic at 2:58 p.m., his heart rate was still high by 4 p.m. despite stabilized body temperature, Worden told Penn Live. Totti died at 7:30 p.m.

“Everyone involved was incredibly and understandably upset and concerned for the dog," said a statement issued by the department and cited by Penn Live. "Unfortunately the dog did not survive. This has been very devastating for everyone involved.”

According to a news release cited by Fox 43, this is the first incident of its kind since the unit launched in 1995. The director of the unit met with the handlers to review safety and prevention, Fox reported, adding the department’s 22 handlers and dogs are in the process of moving its K-9 base from the boot camp to Rockview.

The DOC plans a fact-finding investigation to review the incident

 

[Birch812]

Several police departments in Pa are installing devices like these in their units.
I heard Philly just installed it in 43 of their K9 vehicles a couple weeks ago.
http://www.reshareworthy.com/device-protects-k9s-from-hot-cars/

 

[RyanR]

It happens because sometimes humans make mistakes. Sad but it was apparently an accident.

 

[twistedoak]

sorry humans make mistakes don't cut it.
this was a highly specialized dog.alot of resources were put into it,both time and money.
the reckless disregard the officer displayed should exclude him from ever working with another k9 again.
I also think it be appropriate if he had to seek employment elsewhere

 

[RyanR]

What, you don't think the handler is keenly aware of that? After all, they actually spend a lot of the time and resources directly with their K9s. They become partners, in every sense of the word so the guy is probably pretty shook up and devastated by it. It's being investigated and I'm sure appropriate action will be taken. Maybe the guy loses his job but the fact is if he's been an otherwise good, reliable employee you just don't fire people quite so easily. It's a lot different than Monday morning quarterbacking our outrage on the internet. That said I don't think too many K9 handlers have this happen to them so it disturbs me as well and raises questions for me too.

 

[twistedoak]

well the reason there installing alarms in philly is because a k9 handler let 2 of his dogs die like that.
every year you hear about this happening if not local , nationally.

so when it does occur I do wonder how invested in that "partnership" the officer was...

 

[WilySpike]

just like when a child gets left in a car. People being forgetful. Its hard to think it could happen but it does.

 

[RyanR]

Sorry Twistedoak but I really don't recall hearing, every year, that K9s are being left to die in vehicles. Pets, unfortunately yes but not K9s. What I hear about every year is K9s giving their lives in service to the public and in protection of police officers, soldiers, etc.

I will say though I was unaware of the two K9s that died the same way in Philly. That was recent? At any rate, if installing these alarms will make K9s safer this way I think we all agree that's a good thing and good decisions by departments.

I think in most cases, aside from hours spent training & working together the K9s also live with the handlers, so that bond is tight. Maybe even tighter than many owners have with their pets (regularly worked sporting dogs probably being an exception.) One of the first questions in my mind with Corrections dept K9 was "was this K9 with its handler full time?"

 

[twistedoak]

i'm gonna say it was 2 yrs ago.tho it could have been more.his first k9 he killed a few years before.
and while you might be right in it not happening every 365 days they won't make it 2 yrs without an incident.
and how many almost died are there that aren't reported?

you would think the alarms are a no brainer but that's not the case .
you would also think that flak vest would be a given but that's also just not the case.
if k9s are vested in most cases its because the public donated them not because the PD thought them worthy of the expenditure.

I have no doubts the dog was bonded,and I have no doubt that the dog sat quietly while dying thinking that his "parter" would come to his aid

 

[RyanR]

In reading the Pennlive article on the corrections dog Totti, apparently up to 12 K9s a year have died in this manner and Totti is the 8th so far this year. It's not a huge number but still I didn't realize that it was even that many annually. Still, I don't think it's from some level of indifference from their handlers. It's certainly not uncommon for a K9 to have to be left in the vehicle for periods of time while the officer might be doing other work. Like I said, in many cases these officers rely on their K9s to save their lives so I think when a tragic accident like this occurs they're likely more devastated by it than even we are.

Are you sure this same officer was responsible for his previous dog's death in the same manner? There was no mention of that in the article I read and I would think there would have been if it were the case.

Many smaller departments have the cost of these dogs donated by corporations or local businesses and citizens. To infer that because of that the PD doesn't then have a high regard for these dog's lives I think is quite an inflammatory and questionable stretch. That's akin to the antis saying since you hunt and kill game you don't have much regard for an animal's life.

 

[cmrosko]

Neglected for more than 2 hours....!!!
Along with some severe form of punishment that handler should never be allowed to hold that position of responsibility again.
Dogs in that position rely on their care taker just like children do.
Aside from a disabling life or death emergency there is no excuse for that kind of neglect....

It's hard to believe some would try and make excuses for this kind of crap.


*

 

[twistedoak]

I did a quick look to see if I could find the reports of the 2 dead k9s in philly...
its gonna take a bit since it was so long ago,the reason is:
2 dead k9s from fla , and 2 in texas , and 2 in Georgia are filling up the search.
but cliff notes is , he killed his dog , then an investigation discovered he killed a previous one.

on the heels of that last year a k9 almost died after it was left in a car.it wasn't a phila PD, it was a sheriff or constable but it did hit the papers in around phila.

12 dogs a year just to cars ,,,
and every one could have been avoided either by human intervention or in the worst case technology


on a side note a suburban k9 was bloated by his handler last yr because he trained it on a full stomach.
the surgery was quoted at $10000 so they were going to put the dog down, till the public stepped in and raised the money.
really??only sporting dog owners know not to do that??
then refusing to pay?

 

[RyanR]

Oh I thought you were talking about the corrections dept handler killing a previous dog in the same manner. If a K9 handler did indeed kill a second dog in this manner certainly at the very least they shouldn't EVER be a K9 handler again. I wouldn't even argue against them being barred from K9 work after a first time (Or fired if an investigation deems it's warranted.)

Bloat can sometimes be tricky and we don't have the facts on the incident you're talking about but if a handler knew better and put a dog thru physical training immediately after eating that's akin to the leaving in the car accident and an officer should be disciplined and/or removed from K9 service. However opting not to have the surgery due to cost is not refusing to pay. I couldn't afford the surgery either and there's more than a decent chance the dog could die during this type of surgery so that's not so cut & dry. Hopefully I never have to deal with this issue but I doubt I'd get the surgery to repair a torn CCL in a hunting dog- which sadly leaves the likely alternative.

CMRosko- are you insinuating I'm making excuses for this person? I hope not.

 

[twistedoak]

the bloated k9 shocked me because it really sounded like incompetence ,they were claiming its a rare condition that's unpreventable.
as for the cost ,it sounded inflated ,and while they got the $10000 they were asking for I highly doubt that was the cost of the surgery.
maybe for your or my gundog at an emergency vet hospital.
but I don't see any vet hospital banging a small dept full price on a k9 needing emergency surgery.
end result...the dogs back to duty

 

[RyanR]

Maybe the $10,000 was the high end estimate or to cover the cost of possible complications or more likely surgery plus recovery, meds, etc. I know it's not a cheap or easy surgery and for comparison I believe it's much more than the typical CCL repair cost. If you've ever had to take your dog in to remove porcupine quills or some other emergency "surgery" many places will give you a low estimate and and a high estimate and you have to at least have the ability to at least cover the low end right then and there.

Here's what I don't understand about what you said happened. Since it's emergency surgery, you have to decide immediately whether to do it or not. They don't have days (or even a day) to raise enough funds or put the dog down. So it sounds to me like they chose the surgery and then likely held a fundraising drive (like GoFundMe) to see if they could raise the money within the community to cover the costs of the surgery and recovery. It doesn't seem to add up that they were going to either raise the money thru donations or not do the surgery & put the dog down.

 

[twistedoak]

never said it made sense ,that's part of the reason I was left scratching my head

 

[6.5-284BMF]

Monday morning quarterbacking at its best!

First off these handlers are extremely close to their dogs. They know every move that dog will make and when its gonna make it. I can assure you theres punishment coming in some form. Not sure it will be ruining his life like someone else called for by losing his job and never getting one again in this field. Spare me greenpeace! It was an accident. These handlers are very good at what they do. You think you train so hard going out and throwing bumpers to tune your dog up for hunting season? Please these guys get more training in 2 months that you get in all year. They do it for a living and these animals are actually a part of their home life and their companion at work. I feel no matter how mush I try explaining something here it will fall on deaf ears. Make no mistake these handlers love their dog as much as us we do.

Fact from fiction:
The dog handler that had 2 dead dogs actually was charged with killing 3 dogs. His yard was excavated and remains of others were found. Gunshot was the cause of death for one of the dogs.

The title of this post was a bit off also. They have evolved to be so much more than a "drug sniffing" dog. Actually you know what they look for prison a lot? Lithium. They look for cellphones smuggled in. That phone does more damage than a joint. I can promise you that.

For the record I too believe I could never leave my dog or child in a hot car. For heavens sake I left my AC on in my truck while my Drahthaar was laying in the back in a box being taken to a crematory so feelings on dogs/loved ones isn't lost on me either

 

[twistedoak]

off your soap box?
cool
nobody said he couldn't be a corrections officer ..
but after killing his dog he should never be qualified to work with dogs afgain.something that shouldn't happen period if were that "close " to their dog.
and secondly
destroying expensive equipment (that happen to be living )
IS a fire able offense.and should be considered.
if it does happened his life is not as ruined as the dogs so I have no sympathy.

and what 2 dead dogs are you discussing ?
the ones in fla? texas? georgia? or the phila ones?

 

[Goosehunter]

Corrections officer charged in death of drug dog left in hot car
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31ST 2016

BENNER TOWNSHIP, Pa.— A state corrections officer has been charged after a drug-detecting dog in his care died last month after it was left in a hot vehicle for 2 1/2 hours during a training exercise.

State police said Tuesday that Sgt. Chad Holland, 40, of Lock Haven, has been charged with animal cruelty in the July 7 death of 2-year-old Totti at the state prison at Rockview in Benner Township, Centre County.

The handlers and other staffers tried to cool the yellow Labrador with water and ice after they realized he was locked in the car, but the dog later died after being taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment.

Totti was left in the car between 12:15 p.m. and 2:44 p.m., according to a DOC investigation. By 4:15 p.m., according to the DOC, Totti's body temperature was back to normal, but his creatine levels were high, he had lower blood sugar levels and had an elevated heart rate. Totti died at 7:15 p.m.

An online petition urging the Department of Corrections to fire Holland was started after the dog's death.

It's unclear if he has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

Holland and his supervisor were reassigned following a DOC investigation into the dog's death.

DOC Secretary John Wetzel said changes were made regarding the Drug Interdiction Unit following the dog's death.

Wetzel said Totti's handler and supervisor were removed from their positions with the DIU and reassigned to position at SCI Rockview. The prison is just outside of State College.





“We took the death of Totti very seriously and have taken a number of steps to ensure our K-9s are safe no matter the weather,” Wetzel said. “These K-9s are valued members of the DOC law enforcement team and we are committed to keeping them safe in our care.”

Wetzel said a senior DOC officer with military K-9 experience has been assigned to lead the Drug Interdiction Unit.

As a result of the investigation, the report made recommendations that the DOC is in the process of actively evaluating.

They include updating position descriptions to specifically reflect the duties and responsibilities of employees while working/training at the K-9 training academy; reviewing the DOC’s Drug Interdiction Unit policy to address specific responsibilities for staff assigned to the K-9 training academy; and reviewing the DOC’s Drug Interdiction Unit policy to address specific responsibility and care of unassigned dogs while kept at the K-9 training academy, including the transporting and holding of dogs in vehicles.

Wetzel said updated directives for the DOC include that no K-9s will be left in the vehicle for any reason when the handler is not in vehicle; when an officer is deployed overnight, the handler and K-9 will stay in pet friendly hotels; and placards will be posted on dashboard constantly reminding the handler of K-9 in vehicle.

"The DOC has purchased portable kennels and every institution now has a portable kennel where the K-9 will be placed on downtime. Also, each handler was issued a portable kennel in the event they are out in the community conducting work," Wetzel said.

Wetzel said he department is also examining the purchase of extreme weather alarm equipment for its K-9 vehicles.

 

[twistedoak]

I heard this on the news today

and I smiled