[Tax-chick]

Awwww.

We had K-9 officers come to speak to our Cub Scouts every year in Oklahoma. The boys loved seeing how well-trained the dogs were, and the handlers were so committed to the dogs. I'm sure this is heartbreaking for the officer.

Wonder if the city plans to file suit against the kennel? Trained police dogs are very valuable.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Let's not start blaming the kennel. I think keeping strange dogs is very difficult.

My only blame would be for them not using choke chains. A vet not using a choke chain was how the Grand Victor the other year slipped out of the handler's lead/collar and got run over by a car. Another great reason for chokes. A straining dog will not escape unless you let go of the lead.

[Darnright]

>Wonder if the city plans to file suit against the kennel? Trained police dogs are very valuable.<

Dogs with a lot of "drive" (read that hyperactivity) tend toward a syndrome that causes their body temperature to soar out of control. It's common in Belgian Malinois, but can also afflict German Shepherds. Police dogs are selected because of their drive to work (and to fight with a suspect). This is not a trait one would have in the average housepet.

It's not necessarily the fault of the kennel, if the dog became agitated, and went into hyperthermia. Boarding kennels are set up to handle pets as a rule, and many people are unaware of the hyperthermia syndrome that affects working shepherd-type dogs.

[Dysart]

Just caught a short news report on tv. Apparently, the distance between the kennel and the officer's home was "short", and no mention of how long the dog was kept in the kennel before his escape. Hard to imagine a short run would provoke a heat stroke in a service dog. (Still no word of how much time elapsed before he was found, strangely) It's hoped that the autopsy will reveal more on his cause of death. If I learn of the results, I post it here next week.

Also, the German Shepard was bred in Europe and trained in California before being placed into service with the officer. The officer and his family had obviously become very attached to the dog and are quite distraught.