'Police dogs die in car'

[Mr Smith]

Yesterday two Police dogs died when their handler left them in a vehicle outside Sherwood Police station, in this weather no excuse whatsoever, I suppose he was rushing to get his brew, what a prick,

[ktlawson]

I wonder if he will be formally charged and not just reprimanded by the police force.

[skyblu]

shocked to hear this, especially as dog handlers usually seem to have such a very close bond with their working dogs.  Shame on him indeed.

[daxzen]

in my experience police dog-handlers are devoted to their dogs

they train them from puppies and they are generally lodged at their homes - part of their families no less

i dont know enough about the circumstances - but ist a tragic case and i'll bet the ofiicers are devastated

its too easy to take pop at everyone and everything these days

dax

[twinkletoes]

Oh daxzen - I can't agree with that....... no one is taking a pop......whoever this person is, is very wrong to leave an animal in a car in the weather we are experiencing - there are no "circumstances" that can mitigate the action. It doesn't matter if it is just a "warm" day and car windows are left open a bit, the heat in a car can build up so quickly.  Would you leave a young child in the car? Animal - child.....makes no difference, the suffering will be the same.
twinkletoes

[lorna]

My opinion, there is good and bad in every section of people. Years ago my husband's brother-in-law had a very highly trained GS. He also went to Police "dog" days and entered their competitions. We had a neighbour who was a dog handler. I was looking out of my bedroom window and the handler was giving the GS a thrashing in his garden It went on for at least 15 minutes in the end  I rang the station and complained. They sent a Police car to the house. Apparently one of our customers had already complained, the station staff asked me if it was still going on.. Yes it was.
It turned out that the poor GS had overturned a dustbin as a rat had been running around.

[flowerofshona2007]

I thought the vans had air con:(
I wont take my dogs out in the car in the summer, they hog the air con unit and come find me when the ice packs need changing  

[shirlton]

What a sad thing to happen to such hard working dogs. Surely they must have been left in there for a considerable time for it to kill them

[twinkletoes]

shirlton - on the hot days we are experiencing at the moment - this sort of tragedy can strike very very quickly. Heat builds up very fast in a car and will cause terrible distress much quicker than you imagine. It's simple, like flowerofshona says - don't take dogs out in the car in summer.
twinkletoes

[tomatoada]

This is not the first time police dogs have died in a car in hot weather.  I can remember in 1976 that this happened, and I think there has been another case in between.  As mentioned you should not leave children or animals in a car this hot weather.  I think its unforgivable.
 In 1976 when I came out of work the steering wheel was too hot to touch.  I use to carry a thick towel and hold the s/w with that. 

[labrat]

I suppose the question is will the dog handler be treated in a zero tolerance manner which so often seems to be adopted when dealing with ordinary members of the public?

[Old bird]

It is a very unfortunate incident - but just because it was a policeman and police dogs - does it may it any worse??  The end result was that the dogs died.

It happens - it is very very unfortunate and sad - mistakes and accidents do happen to the best of us.

it is easy to say "don't take dogs out in cars in the summer"  that is a major generalisation - today - in Minehead it is P***ing with rain"  It is summer and so do I leave the dogs at home?  - Of course not.  I do take my dogs out in the car at least twice daily - I take them out for walks - I take them here there and everywhere.  I use my judgement as to whether they are best left at home or out with me.  I have the sunroof and all windows open.  So - if I had an accident and - say - got carted off to hospital unconscious - what would happen?

With the best will in the world - accidents and errors of judgement happen with sometimes tragic results.  Dogs/cats get run over on roads - do we never take them out just in case.

Police dogs are generally not brought in as puppies - the sniffer dogs and specialist dogs are - but the alsations and the like are generally taken in from rescue homes and other homes and are trained to be violent and nasty (if they weren't already) so no the copper will probably have met and been given his dogs when they were "trained".  They are not that "hardworking" those alsations are used in crowd control and tracking criminals.  I am not sure which sort of police dogs it was that died - but the general run of the mill police dog - does not "work its' socks off"!

Putting flowers out where the dogs died - to me is OTT - but there is some other agenda going on to knock the police on another count!  The media love an axe to grind - tomorrow it will be something else!

Old Bird

[Borlotti]

I think we should wait until we have the facts of what happened.  But it does seem very odd that they were left in car/van whatever, why on earth weren't they taken into the police station or kennels.  Police love their dogs as a rule.  Take a dog in a car, stay with it, windows open but don't leave them locked up to die.  Terrible.

[asbean]

I think we should wait until we have the facts of what happened.  But it does seem very odd that they were left in car/van whatever, why on earth weren't they taken into the police station or kennels.  Police love their dogs as a rule.  Take a dog in a car, stay with it, windows open but don't leave them locked up to die.  Terrible.

I agree. Wait till the facts come out before making judgements

[tomatoada]

I did say in hot weather not Summer.  Our Summers can be colder than Winter. 
Also I am not criticising them because they are policemen.  In fact I support the police 99.9% of the time. 

[Melbourne12]

Oh daxzen - I can't agree with that....... no one is taking a pop......whoever this person is, is very wrong to leave an animal in a car in the weather we are experiencing - there are no "circumstances" that can mitigate the action. It doesn't matter if it is just a "warm" day and car windows are left open a bit, the heat in a car can build up so quickly.  Would you leave a young child in the car? Animal - child.....makes no difference, the suffering will be the same.
twinkletoes

There was a programme on the wireless a little while ago about people who had left children in cars in the United States in hot weather, and the children had died.  Apparently around 50 children a year are killed or hospitalised in the USA for this reason.

The programme was so heartrending that it almost reduced me to tears.  The overwhelming majority of incidents were not caused by people who should know better, by by people who genuinely thought that they had dropped the child at playschool, or brought it into the house as they unpacked the shopping, or whatever.

You know how it is with everyday actions?  You can't always remember whether you did them or not.  Did I turn the gas off?  Did I pick up my keys?  Or sometimes you get to work and find that you didn't pick up your wallet, or your entry pass.  So it was with these people.  They ALWAYS dropped the kid at school, so they must have done so this morning.  They ALWAYS unlocked the front door, carried in the shopping, then unstrapped the child and brought him into the house before closing the front door, so they must have done so this time.  Only one time they didn't, with ghastly consequences.

But almost without exception they were treated as child murderers by family, neighbours, and colleagues.  Few marriages survived.  They paid a heavy price.

I may be wrong, but I can imagine that a busy policeman could have got diverted, and simply thought that he'd brought the dogs inside, as was his routine.

[Flunky]

Police dogs are generally not brought in as puppies - the sniffer dogs and specialist dogs are - but the Alsatians and the like are generally taken in from rescue homes and other homes and are trained to be violent and nasty (if they weren't already) so no the copper will probably have met and been given his dogs when they were "trained".  They are not that "hardworking" those Alsatians are used in crowd control and tracking criminals.  I am not sure which sort of police dogs it was that died - but the general run of the mill police dog - does not "work its' socks off"!

I think this may be incorrect. About this time last year BBC breakfast news followed some GS through police training. It is a very specialist role. They wont have "mental" dogs in there. They are raised from pups in very high standards. If they don't pass they are re-homed. I know a couple of dog handlers and they would be devastated if this happened to their dog.

[Ishard]

There is NO excuse for this, absolutely none!!! 

I have been a dog owner, shower and breeder for 30 odd years and I NEVER leave any of my dogs in the car.

Due to partial retirement I now only own 2 German shepherds and 1 golden retriever and in hot weather like this I don't even take them for a walk in this heat as heat stroke is so easy for heavy coated and large breeds to get.

BTW If you see a dog in distress in a car we are legally allowed to break into the car to get the dog out.

To relieve heat stroke in dogs pour copious amounts of cold water on the backs of their necks and shoulders or dunk the dog up to the ears in water

[jimtheworzel]

 

The maximum sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is six months in prison and a £20,000 fine.

Nottinghamshire Police said the handler had not been suspended.

[Mr Smith]

I go along with Ishard on this In all my twentythree years of keeping working dogs before the hunting ban came in they got better bloody treatment than me, and never ever would I leave a dog in a car in this weather in a vehicle, Coppers I sum them up in one word 'Ventris' from Heartbeat feet up on the table having a brew f*g in thand thinking about the pension or a pint and a brew