[yorkie]

I'm ill, just reading this. Poor Bandit. Temperatures have been over 110 in Phoenix all week - and this dog was left in a car for the weekend?

[ikka]

Will he be charged with killing a police officer, the way that someone else killing a police dog would be?

[yorkie]

I tried to post the AZ Republic article, but it is not allowed here.

I hope it is acceptable with administration if I post a link. It is a much more detailed article:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0813cr-deaddog.html

[umgud]

He should have just shot the dog. It would have been more humane. I know a few K-9 cops and their dog is almost family.

[ozzymandus]

This happens quite a bit. A nearby small-town PD paid $10,000 for a “dope dog”, and the dumbass handler left him in the car on a hot day and killed him. Our local PD decided they needed a “dope dog” as well (it’s a big cop fad, apparently) and bought one for the same 10 grand. A nearby Sheriff’s department offered to GIVE them their dog, who they decided was useless, but NOOO, the cops had to burn 10K of taxpayer money. The dog was worthless, and when the “handler” went to another town, he took the frigging dog with him. No explanations were forthcoming, as is usual in small-town politics, where nobody with a life wants to get involved in the local govt.

[Dov in Houston]

parked at his home,

He should be charged like any other citizen

[Dick Bachert]

I, too, am sick to see this story after having to put down my 13 year-old Lab on Friday.
I suspect Scoob and Bandit are getting acquainted at this very moment.

[airedale]

I’m not in Arizona, I’m in California but if I did that to my dog I’d be in jail and criminal charges would be pressed. In California it would be felony animal neglect if your dog died that way. What are Arizona animal cruelty laws? Looking the subject up on line it certainly looks like this officer is guilty of violation of a number of Arizona laws: http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/dawson/cruelty/az_cruel.htm Section 12-2910 applies to police dogs since they are working animals. It looks like in Arizona it’s only a class 1 misdemeanor which as I understand it is the most serious level of misdemeanor since the behavior as described appears reckless. It looks to me like he violated section A1, A3, A4, A7 and probably A6 since the city is the owner of the working animal If he violated A7 it’s a felony and that’s similar what’s charged here in California if you leave a dog in a car in 100 degree weather and it dies. I’m not a lawyer but not charging him raises some interesting questions.

Arizona Cruelty to Animals Statutes

ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES
TITLE 13. CRIMINAL CODE
CHAPTER 29. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER

§ 13-2910. Cruelty to animals; interference with working or service animal; classification; definitions

A. A person commits cruelty to animals if the person does any of the following:
1. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly subjects any animal under the person’s custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment.
2. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to provide medical attention necessary to prevent protracted suffering to any animal under the person’s custody or control.
3. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly inflicts unnecessary physical injury to any animal.
4. Recklessly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment.
5. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly kills any animal under the custody or control of another person without either legal privilege or consent of the owner.
6. Recklessly interferes with, kills or harms a working or service animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner.
7. Intentionally or knowingly subjects any animal under the person’s custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment that results in serious physical injury to the animal.
8. Intentionally or knowingly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment.
9. Intentionally or knowingly interferes with, kills or harms a working or service animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner.

B. It is a defense to subsection A of this section if:
1. Any person exposes poison to be taken by a dog which has killed or wounded livestock or poison to be taken by predatory animals on premises owned, leased or controlled by the person for the purpose of protecting the person or the person’s livestock or poultry, and the treated property is kept posted by the person who authorized or performed the treatment until the poison has been removed, and the poison is removed by the person exposing the poison after the threat to the person, or the person’s livestock or poultry has ceased to exist. The posting required shall provide adequate warning to persons who enter the property by the point or points of normal entry. The warning notice which is posted shall be readable at a distance of fifty feet, shall contain a poison statement and symbol and shall state the word “danger” or “warning”.
2. Any person uses poisons in and immediately around buildings owned, leased or controlled by the person for the purpose of controlling wild and domestic rodents as otherwise allowed by the laws of the state, excluding any fur- bearing animals as defined in § 17-101.

[AZLiberty]

Sad stuff happens. Sounds like the officer worked an extra shift, was too tired to remember the presence of the dog (who was probably sleeping in the back seat after his extra shift), and fell into bed.

[Porterville]

I never forget my dogs. Ever. I don’t go on vacations because I’d rather be home with my dogs. I take them everywhere I can.

[dragnet2]

Very sad...German Shepards are some of the greatest dogs on this planet...Best of friends, and loyal to the bone. What a shame.

[Vinnie]

My daughter handles these types of cases.
Just last Thurs. she ticketed a man for leaving his dog in his car while the man went for a cooling therapeutic swim.
The temp. Thurs here in the Raleigh area was 100+.
Temp in the car was 118.
The man is a retired policeman.

[Calpernia]

This is 100% unacceptable. This is not a moron with a pet. This was an officer with government property.

[HairOfTheDog]

So sad.

Ping!

Other articles with keyword "DOGGIEPING" since 12/29/04

[CDHart]

Go to www.chandleraz.com and use the contact form to inform them of your opinion of this. I told them that I thought the dog's handler should be suspended and then charged with the death of a police officer, just as a private citizen would be.

Carolyn

[sweetiepiezer]

Very sad. I am sure this officer is paying dearly in his heart.

I know the pain of loosing a dog.
Mine is the first on the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrCvfj4g9MU

[tob2]

“I’m ill, just reading this. Poor Bandit. Temperatures have been over 110 in Phoenix all week - and this dog was left in a car for the weekend?”

Me too. And it was the head of the K-9 unit who did it! Totally inexcusable in my book. Should be treated no different than other such cases.

[Badeye]

A complete and total idiot. There is simply no excuse.

[monkfan]

"To be charged with animal cruelty under state law, someone must intentionally or recklessly leave an animal in a vehicle when injury or death likely would occur."

[*grabbing dictionary...*]

---

One entry found for reckless.

Main Entry: reck·less
Pronunciation: 're-kl&s
Function: adjective
1 : marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences
2 : IRRESPONSIBLE {reckless charges}

---

Sooo... how is leaving a dog in a car for 13 hours on a remarkably hot day not reckless?

[halfright]

Sounds to me like first degree murder.If I was a perp and shot that dog thats what I would get. Life in prison with bubba or lethal injection should be on the table. Plea down to dogslaughter.? 10-20 with Bubba sounds about right.

[yorkie]

Update on the article:

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/95043

(The very last sentence says that the same thing happened to another dog in Phoenix in March, when a cop left him in his vehicle.)

I am just livid about this news!