Another K9 officer died after being left in hot car by handler

Another police dog has died this month after having been left inside of an officer’s hot patrol vehicle. Aron, a four-year-old K-9 named Aron had worked for more than a year with the Houston Police Department before his untimely death on Monday.

According to the Houston Police Department statement, Aron’s handler found his dog “in distress” inside of his patrol car which should have been running with the air conditioning system switched on as long as the dog remained in the car. Leaving police dogs in the vehicles is common practice while his human partner is “not actively engaged in police work.”

When Aron’s handler returned to his vehicle, the engine had switched, off causing the air-conditioning to shut down. Aron was rushed to the veterinary clinic where he died from heat exhaustion.

As with most police cars nowadays where K-9 dogs ride, there is an emergency backup system where the “system notifies the handler, sounds the horn, activates cooling fans, and rolls down the car windows, if for some reason the vehicle shuts down.” In this case, the backup emergency system also failed.

Statement:

Aron’s death from heat exhaustion is the second time this week that a police K9 has died after being left in a hot car. On June 5, K9 Officer Chase, from the Cobb County Police Department in Georgia died after his handler found the unresponsive dog in the patrol car after the car shut off without triggering the emergency cooling system and alarms. A subsequent investigation found the patrol vehicle had “multiple failures” that caused K9 Chase’s death.

The Houston Police Department will be inspecting all vehicles that transport K9s for any malfunctions.

Rest in peace Officer Aron. We are saddened you were failed by humans.

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