Chico
Bagpipers played and police cars drove in a procession with their lights flashing Thursday in a final, symbolic patrol for Chico, the late K-9 officer. Hie procession was just like any other officers would be but he didn’t die in the line of duty or from old age or disease he died because he was left in the police vehicle for 3 hours and 45 minutes alone. Yes the special air system was left on but it failed at some point and the emergency system which starts a fan and makes an alarm go off so that the officer can be alerted to the emergency never came online.
Chico, a 6-year-old Dutch shepherd, was found unresponsive inside a parked police car in the heat on Saturday. The dog died after being taken to Rainbow Veterinary Hospital in Darlington, Beaver County. New Castle police Chief Thomas Sansone isn’t identifying the officer who was handling Chico at the time. He says the officer will face charges in addition to being suspended with the likelihood of being fired. At this time the investigation is still on going with both the police force and The Lawrence County District Attorney.Chico’s death is being considered accidental but avoidable at this time. They have not released information as to why the police dog was in the car for that length of time parked at the police station on Saturday.
This tragic accident goes to show that even if you think you are leaving the air on for your dog when you leave the car mechanical failures happen. There is no need to bring your dog in the car to go run errands with you if the dog cannot come into the locations. If leaving your dog in the car is unavoidable make sure there is an air source and cool water available and if possible park in the shade. It takes so little time for a dog to suffer heat stroke in the middle of the summer. There are several types cooling pads and cooling collars for your pet that will help keep them cooler. Anyone who knows leaving the dog in the car will be unavoidable should look into the options available.
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Such a sad and frustrating story… when will people learn? 🙁
That is so incredibly sad. You would think with all the training they received, they’d know better. That poor, sweet dog.
This is infuriating!
Very sad! When will people learn that dogs do not belong in cars alone? Especially hot cars! Makes me very frustrated when something so sad can be so easily avoided.
Here in Florida, a car can reach over 110 degrees inside in about 10 minutes in the summer. Why was this dog left in a car for almost four hours??? Even with a special ventilation system, the mere fact that he was left in a confined space for an extended period with no access to a bathroom or water is unconscionable.