By Police1 Staff
RINCON, Ga.— A Savannah State University K-9 was found dead after being left in a handler’s vehicle, WTOC reported.
The K-9, Baston, joined the SSU police department in 2010. According to the police report, Baston, 7, passed away at his handler’s home after being left in a car for three or four hours in temperatures listed at 95 degrees. The handler went inside to bring in food to his family and planned on returning to get Baston, but instead ate his meal and fell asleep.
When the handler awoke, he ran outside to retrieve Baston, but found the K-9 dead inside the back of the car with the windows rolled up. The handler tried to revive Baston with a cold bath, but his injuries were fatal.
“These are heartbreaking, sickening, accidents,"Jeff Schettler, CEO of Georgia K-9 National Training Center, told WTOC. “Accidents can happen anytime to anybody. I do not think there is any malicious intent that this officer or any officer in the past has had when their dog dies.”
Another K-9 died in Georgia in a similar incident just last week.
According to Schettler, there are currently no laws that prevent officers from keeping their dogs in the car in the state.