K9 dogs are absolutely amazing. They possess unique abilities that allow the human members of their police team to be much more effective in their jobs. The canine teams are hard at work doing what they do best on a daily basis. Their major finds are often responsible for bringing closure to grieving families. K9 teams frequently find missing persons both dead and alive.
They also locate suspects and key pieces of evidence. We are all aware of their reputation for locating and seizing deadly drugs from many locations. These canines often act as crime deterrents and can persuade criminals to surrender more quickly as well. Keeping our communities safe is their number one responsibility.
K9 dogs play an important role in community public relations for their team. You may have seen them at the local mall, meeting their adoring public. Schools use them for more than to detect drugs in student’s lockers or to seek out a potential bomb on the school property. These versatile dogs are favorites when visiting to demonstrate their skill at seeking out objects and versatility training movements.
Fearless K9 Team Members in Dangerous Situations
Police work often puts K9 teams in dangerous situations. These dogs are fearless and may be found in speeding police cars or checking for explosives. They rush in without hesitation in response to active shooter threats right along with their human handlers. Each year, there are a number of K9 dogs who lose their lives in the line of duty. They are heroes in their own right and are usually given a heroes burial.
Can you imagine the loss the human member of the K9 team must feel if their K9 partner is killed in action? They are together pretty much 24/7 and have a bond like no other. Their lives depend upon one another in every sense possible.
Many of us feel as though our dogs are members of our family but not many of our lives depend upon them. Nevertheless, we can somewhat imagine how devastating it would be to have them die, especially in the line of duty. These dogs die doing what their human partner and best friend asked them to do. Even when they die doing what must be done to serve and protect, their death must be hard to accept.
FATALITY STATISTICS from Officer Down Memorial Page @ https://www.odmp.org/k9
YEAR 2019
Total78-31%
Gunfire33-11%
Auto26-21%
Other19-56%
Laws to Protect K9 dogs
There are some who think that there should be an automatic penalty for anyone who intentionally kills the canine member of a K9 Team. K9 dogs have died from deliberate gunshot wounds as well as being stabbed with knives. As for now, laws vary greatly from state to state. This is an area of concern for those who respect these animals and the work that they do to keep us safe.
However, most of K9 deaths are likely to be due to the more indirect, yet still dangerous, elements of their jobs. K9 dogs have died from smoke inhalation when rescuing people from a fire and when suicide vests were exploded. . They have been thrown from speeding automobiles when they crashed in pursuit of a suspect. More than one has died from reactions to the drugs they were seeking. Unfortunately, too many of them have died from hyperthermia. Heat exposure is a risk for all dogs, especially those in automobiles.
Steve Weiss, an NYPD lieutenant who serves as ODMP’s Director of Research said that heat deaths “happen at a pretty alarming rate”. “I was surprised by how often it happens.” He also commented that many K9 unit vehicles are outfitted with electronic systems that automatically regulate heat and humidity. These systems can alert remote officers if the AC fails or the temperature gets too high. This allows them to open the trunk or doors to allow dogs to escape.
Weiss advocates better and more consistent laws protecting police dogs. “The laws in many states involving the deaths of police animals are not very strict,” he said. “Every state is different.”
If you would like to know more about these magnificent canines who lost their lives in the line of duty, I suggest you check out this site:
In Memory of K9 Dogs Dying in the Line of Duty: Officer Down Memorial Page @ https://www.odmp.org/k9
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/20/the-surprising-reason-more-police-dogs-are-dying-in-the-line-of-duty/?noredirect=on
https://defensemaven.io/bluelivesmatter/fallen-heroes/hero-down-alabama-doc-k9-jake-dies-after-inhaling-substance-during-search-qKKkcc3l4ESiaVGhDz567w/