Patton, Mt. Holly bomb sniffing K-9 dies

Patton was a very special 5 year old Golden Retriever that died Tuesday. He was a bomb-sniffing K-9 officer with the Mt. Holly Police. Not all reports are in yet so the full story of Patton's demise is not yet known.

In 2006 Patton was a stray dog rescued from a shelter in Pennsylvania and thanks to a $100,000 state grant was trained in explosives detection. He was even featured in the 2009 'Cops and Dogs' calendar.

In addition to performing patrol and detection duties in Mt. Holly Township, Patton and McIntosh were part of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security task force.

A necropsy is being performed at Columbus Animal Hospital and the NJSPCA will investigate. Once interviews are performed with Officer McIntosh and the results of the necropsy are known further information as to the cause of death and possible culpability of Office McIntosh should be clarified.

The Trentonian quotes an anonymous source as saying Patton died as the result of being left in a hot car for an extended period of time. The source said Patton was found close to death in the car and taken to an animal hospital, but died.

To reiterate – all the facts are not in yet, so let's not rush to judgment until we have them. Follow up to this article will be provided when information is discovered.

NJSPCA takes the act of leaving a dog in a car in the heat of summer seriously as evidenced by the link to its 2008 video which states they can impose up to a $1,000 fine per pet and request a ban of violators from owning dogs ever again.

Gentlemen of the jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.
Gentleman of the jury: A man’s dog stands by him in

prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Graham_Vest

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