Police dogs die in hot car

[Unregistered]

two police dogs have died by being left in a hot car in Nottingham. How can the police allow this to happen. surley there must be some procedure to make sure that the dogs are well looked after. if this was a member of the public then they would be prosecuted so I would hope that so called experts who allow this to happen are bought to book for allowing such a terrible thing to happen.

I wonder if anyone in the police wants to answer my question, I dont think so somehow.


Pat R

[dogboy]

I'll answer it Pat R.
Firstly, let's see exactly what happened. There are a million and one reasons why this has happened and neglect is one of them. The A/C System failing is another. The gas rods that keep the boot open failing is another. Some anti Police type simply closing the boot for his/her own sad perverse ends is another......Do I need to go on.
Before we hang draw and quarter those charged with caring for the poor animals, lets see how and why it happened. Once the facts emerge, then I'll be the first to castigate those responsible if neglect is shown to be the cause.
Until then I'll do the sensible thing and keep my mouth shut.

[admin]

I'll back up Dogboy on this one. Whatever the reason, its tragic, however, its so easy to jump on the bandwagon and asume the police are at fault.

One thing I will say, and that's this, I know, that whatever the reason, the handler or handlers are devistated. Having spent so long in the police dog world, I know how strong the police dog / handler relationship is, I also know what its like to lose a good dog.

Lets be patient and see what the outcome of the investigation is and then offer some constructive comments on the subject.

[Howard]

Pat,

Try registering, introducing yourself, and then not assume that the police wont answer your questions. I just posted replies on another board in reference to this exact same incident.

Howard

[Summit K9]

Maybe waiting for the findings of the investigation before jumping to conclusions would be a better option, after all you really have no idea of the exact circumstances other than what is written by the media, and we all know how they can be 100% accurate don't we........NOT!

Peter

[Brian Brassett]

I am not a serving Police officer. I do not know the "full facts" of the case only that which has been reported in the news media.

However, would you not agree that it would be far better to await an full and in-depth investigation by the RSPCA and by the officers own Police Force before arriving at any conclusions. One thing is for sure, this officer, and his colleagues will be totally devastated by this event.

brianb.

[admin]

We seem to know a little more about the circumstances, and it’s a topic that needs to be discussed if only to remind ourselves that such a tragic thing can happen even to those of us who represent the professional dog handler, & not just to the public.

It seems the handler was off duty & called into his dog base with his two dogs in his own vehicle. Reading between the lines I pick up on a couple of points here

1. He thought enough of his dogs to want to have them with him; he could just as easily have left them in the compound at his home.

2. On a day off he spent time at his dog base, so I get the impression he was a keen & enthusiastic dog handler (it’s hard to get some dog handlers to attend when they are being paid).

Taking these points into consideration, I suspect that he will be mortified by the death of these dogs.

I think it only fair to say that any of us who have worked as professional dog handlers have at some time in our career made a mistake or two. Circumstances more often than not make the consequences of our mistakes to show us up as a fool & we are lucky enough to get away so lightly. I for one once left my dog in a down position at the rear of my car while I sorted out the dogs’ cage. I then closed the door got in the driver’s seat & drove away. It wasn't for some 3 - 4 miles that it suddenly dawned on me that the dog wasn't in the car with me. I turned around and when I drove back in the dog training school, there he was still in the down where I had put him. I apologised to him as if he was a little kid left at the school gates - I felt a right idiot (both for leaving him there & subsequently for apologising to him!!).

My point is I made a mistake. I got away with it. On most other days of the year, leaving your dog in the car will result in a dog that may need to take a pee desperately but otherwise is OK. On this particular day, the result was far more tragic.

I'm not making excuses, just trying to put it in perspective. The bottom line is we have to take responsibility for our actions & the consequences of those actions. This lad will live with this for the rest of his life. He will probably lose his job and may even be prosecuted, and they are the consequences of his mistake, but don't lets run away with the idea that he is some kind of monster. He made a mistake, and he will have to pay for it, but remember, there but for the grace of god go many of us.

[Brian Brassett]

Amen to that Steve. And I think your final paragraph just about sums the whole tragic case up.
brianb.

[Summit K9]

I agree Steve, an extremely sad outcome to a tragic accident which could happen to any of us.

Peter

[Howard]

Couldn't have said it better, Steve.

Howard

[Moobli]

Excellent post Steve, and your exact same sentiments are ones that I have been trying to put across on a mainly pet forum since this very sad incident happened. I am sadly not a police dog handler (as a medical complication put paid to that dream) but I have friends who are police dog handlers/instructors and I know just how strong the bond is between the dog and handler. Whatever happened here, and very tragic as it is, there was no malice, intent or deliberate act of cruelty intended. Of that, I am very sure. This poor handler has lost his two dogs in very upsetting circumstances due to, most probably, human error, and he has to live with this for the rest of his life, and I am sure he is heartbroken and devastated.

Let's not jump to conclusions and appoint ourselves as judge, jury and executioner before the full facts are known.