 Memorials
to Fallen K-9s
2003 page 30
The
F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of cards to all partners
I
need your help to inform me of
such
losses.
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Dept.
addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers.
See below
In
Loving Memory
of
K-9
GINO
LODD
August
31, 2003
Partner: Constable
Darren Leggatt
Calgary Police Service
Support Section, Canine Unit
6528-11 Street N.E.
Calgary,Alberta, Canada
T2E 7J4
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In Loving
Memory of
KOKO
Tragedy
in Canada;
Air Conditioner Fails;
K-9
Gino and Pet
Dog, Koko Die
Calgary,
Canada - 9/2/2003 - Emma Poole, with files from Scott Crowson
Calgary
Herald
Calgary
police will look at adding a temperature safety device to K-9 unit
vehicles
to prevent service dogs from accidentally overheating and dying, a
senior
officer said Monday. The move comes one day after Gino, an
11-year-old
male German shepherd, died after being left in a newer model unmarked
CROWN
VICTORIA outside a northeast police station. Gino, along with
police
service dog Koko, a six-year-old female German shepherd, were left in
the
vehicle while Const. Darren Leggatt finished paperwork. Leggatt's own
dog
also died. Although the air conditioning was running, a
malfunction
in the car is believed to have caused the car to start blowing hot
air.
"We would look to see if there's any products available to prevent a
similar
incident," said Insp. Gord Pelly. Some agencies, including
Virginia
State Department of Corrections and the U.S. Secret Service, have
installed
a warning system called Hotdog in their K-9 vehicles to prevent
overheating.
Criminalistics Inc., an American company, sells the product, which can
be programmed for several responses when the temperature limit is
exceeded.
It can lower electric windows, activate the car horn or lights, and
repeatedly
activate a pager alarm. The basic model retails for about $450 Cdn. The
dogs' deaths have sent a ripple of sadness across the police service,
especially
within the K-9 unit, a tight-knit group known to spend more time with
their
animals than their families. Leggatt, a 15-year member of Calgary
Police
Service, has been with the K-9 unit for the past four years. He was
working
as an acting sergeant during the holiday weekend and was in the office
doing paperwork Sunday when the incident occurred. The two police dogs,
as well as Leggatt's family dog, a German shepherd, were left in the
vehicle
with the air conditioning running.
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The dogs had been checked on
throughout
the day and were allowed out of the car to exercise and play several
times,
said police. Leggatt returned to the car in the afternoon and opened
the
back door to find all three dogs in cardiac arrest. The vents inside
the
car had been blowing hot air for an unknown length of time. Leggatt
performed
cardio pulmonary resuscitation on Koko, who is trained at detecting
explosives.
Once
he was revived, Leggatt moved on to Gino, one of the
most
successful
dogs in the service. He called for help over his radio. All three dogs
were rushed to the Emergency Animal Clinic in Inglewood, where the
family
pet and Gino were pronounced dead. "Gino was a unique service dog who
had
the ability to go from getting
his belly rubbed by a kindergarten class to the apprehension of a house
breaker in a matter of minutes," said Insp. Kevin Brookwell, commander
of the police support section. "Darren and Gino were one of our most
consistent
and successful dog-handler teams. They were responsible for the
location
or apprehension of numerous criminals, almost on a nightly basis, and
Gino
will be sorely missed." Gino was born in Hungary and came to the CPS in
1999. He took commands in Hungarian and spent time as a service dog in
Edmonton. Koko, born and raised in Calgary, was treated by vets and is
improving on an hourly basis. Police expect her to make a full
recovery.
Police received several angry calls on Monday from Calgarians. "A lot
of
people are not so happy," said Pelly. He said the unmarked unit has
been
removed from service and will undergo testing. Canine officers from
across
Alberta sent their condolences to Leggatt at the Calgary unit, where
there
are about a dozen police dogs. "You really create a bond with these
dogs.
It's like having a regular person in the car," said Const. Rod
Koshowski,
a four-year member of the Edmonton Police Service's K-9 unit. "You rely
on them, totally. I really don't think people understand the bond."
It's
standard procedure to leave the animal in an idling cruiser while the
officer
conducts business, as long as the air conditioning is running, said
Koshowski.
"(The cruiser), it's like (the dogs') office. It's their place when
they're
working," he said. "It's their safety zone." Koshowski said Edmonton
officers
have been told not to use the air conditioning inside their cruisers at
their highest level. While the fan can remain on high, the temperature
should not be at the most extreme level. Air conditioning units have
been
known to seize when on high levels for long periods, he said. Const.
Gord
Stull, a six-year veteran of the Medicine Hat Police Service K-9 unit,
said his dog, Nero, prefers to remain in the cruiser. "For him to come
into the building (with me), he would feel like he's working," said
Stull.
"Their rest time is in the vehicle." Initial investigation into the
Calgary
dog deaths shows the air conditioner malfunctioned and began blowing
hot
air. The temperature outside was already 28 C. Upholstery in a vehicle
can heat up to temperatures that make it impossible for animals to cool
themselves. It can take less than 10 minutes to send a dog in a hot car
into cardiac arrest. "We'll also be looking at our operating procedures
to determine if this situation can be prevented in the future," said
Brookwell.
UPDATE: September 6,
2003
Calgary
police say clogged radiator led
to death of police dog and family pet
A clogged car radiator led to the heatstroke deaths of a
police
dog and a family pet and the severe injury of a bomb-sniffing canine, a
force spokesman said Friday. The dog that survived the August 25
accident
inside the Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser has made a steady
recovery
and was to go home to his master, Const. Darren Leggatt, on Friday,
said
Insp. Kevin Brookwell. "We're very optimistic Koko will be back
to
work -- a lot of time and effort was put into getting her to that level
(of explosive-sniffing)," said Brookwell. Despite efforts by
Leggatt
to revive him with CPR, police canine Gino died. A test on the
cruiser
used by Leggatt when the accident occurred Sunday traced the fatal
episode
to a radiator clogged by grass seed, tree fluff, bugs and dandelions,
said
Brookwell. The obstructions cut off the supply of cooler air to
the
engine, which overheated. "To protect the engine, the car's
systems
shut down and one of the first things to go is the air conditioning,"
said
Brookwell. "The clogged radiator had a domino effect all the
way."
After an hour of test-running the car under conditions similar to last
Sunday's 29 C temperature, the cruiser's air conditioning began to
fail,
said Brookwell. The findings confirm Leggatt -- who'd checked on
the dogs while parked at a northeast police facility last Sunday -- had
done nothing wrong.
Bob
Chaters
submitted
by Jim Cortina, Dir, CPWDA
UPDATE
During the past months Darren has been training a new dog
with the anticipation of being back on the street.
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n
Loving Memory
of
K-9
CHERO
Holland
Herder (Dutch Shepherd)
September
4, 2003
Partner:
Tiger Parsons
St
Joseph Police Department
501
Faraon Street
St.
Joseph, MO 64501
(816)
271-4714
moved
to 816 233 3377 - sheriff's dept. call mon. 9/16/03 4:30 pm (5:30 here)
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Drug
Strike Force dog found dead
St.
Joseph News-Press - Saturday, September 06, 2003
A
veteran canine for the Drug Strike Force died unexpectedly Thursday
night.
Chero, an 11-year-old Dutch shepherd, passed away from natural causes
while
working, said Mike Strong, coordinator of the Strike Force. Mr. Strong
said Chero’s handler, Tiger Parsons, found the dog dead in Mr. Parson’s
air-conditioned vehicle at the Strike Force headquarters.
“This
is absolutely a great loss for all of us, especially his handler,” Mr.
Strong said. “He was a useful tool and very good at what he did. That
makes
this loss even harder for all of us here.” Mr. Strong said Chero
had thousands of searches under his belt with both the Strike Force and
the St. Joseph Police Department. Mr. Strong said the Strike Force
hasn’t
yet explored the possibility of getting a new canine, but he expects
the
unit to get a replacement somewhere down the road.
submitted
by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
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In
Loving Memory
of
K-9
BEAR
SAR
May 4,
1993 -
September 7, 2003
Partner:
John Gilkey
PA
USAR Task Force 1
(temp
photo
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submitted
by Rich Grant
PA
TF-1 K9
Bear,
the urban search and rescue dog that died on 9/11/03 from my FEMA Urban
Search and Rescue Task Force from Pennsylvania. I have spoke with John,
Bear's handler and he is fine with us trying to put this together.
If you could give me a phone number to call you so we can get the
ball rolling finally that would be great. John told me that he just
purchased a book that had a picture of Bear in it and I was wondering
if it was
your book. I am embarrased to say it but I have not had a chance
to see your book yet and I can't wait until I am able to get my hands
on it. I look forward to hearing from you and Thank You again for
all of the wonderful things you do for our four legged partners. John
is finally able to talk about this
and I hope we can still put something together. Thanks again,
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In
Loving Memory
of
K-9
SEAGRAVE
SAR
May 11,
1997 -
Sept. 7, 2003
Handler:
Irene Harris
Newark,
DE
East
Coast K-9 Search & Rescue, Inc.
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Born a beautiful yellow lab on May 11,1997, Seagrave was owned,
trained
and handled by Irene Harris of Newark, Delaware. Over the years
he
became a valued and critical component of East Coast K-9 Search and
Rescue,
Inc. The team of Seagrave and Irene could always be counted on to
respond to calls for assistance from many different agencies throughout
Maryland and Delaware. Seagrave's incredible drive and desire to
work will be severely missed by everyone at East Coast K-9. We were
fortunate
to be able to see him at a training on September 6th. Everyone said
goodbye
to Seagrave and watched him work a short problem perfectly, for one
last
time. A memorial plaque will be placed in the new trailer to honor both
his achievements and his memory. Thank you, Irene, for sharing
him
with us. We know all dogs are special but there is nothing like
your
first working dog. Rest easy, Seagrave.
submitted
to & send
cards to
:
Jennifer
Angelini, 125 Fey Rd., Chestertown, MD 21620
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