By David Matthews
New York Daily News
DADE COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy was fired this week after a police dog was left in a hot car for too long and died.
The Dade County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that a K-9 officer, a bloodhound named Georgia, was allegedly left in a closed patrol car with a malfunctioning air conditioner on Sunday while the heat index was over 100 degrees. Meanwhile, her handler was inside the sheriff’s office in Trenton for an undisclosed amount of time and the vehicle’s heat alarm didn’t go off.
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“Those two factors, coupled with K-9 Georgia being left unattended for what we considered to be an unacceptable amount of time, contributed to her passing,” officials said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy in question has been fired, though they didn’t release their name. The office said it has changed its policies so that, going forward, any K-9 vehicle that isn’t in working order will be taken out of service. Their K-9 handler policies will also be overhauled so police dogs will “not be left in vehicles for extended periods of time during the summer.”
The Dade County District Attorney’s Office will now determine whether the former deputy will face charges.
The dog had been donated by a local family, according to the sheriff’s office.
“She was an amazing bloodhound who was sweet, goofy and had all the potential to be the ‘best of the best,’” the sheriff’s office said. “She will be deeply missed by everyone at our office, and by anyone who had the pleasure to meet her.”
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