Despite the brutal, withering heat this summer, a police officer in Tennessee decided to leave his K-9 police dog locked in a cage, outdoors, without water, in 101F (38.3C) weather. Not only did he leave the dog trapped outside in the heat, but then the officer left the premises entirely for about 36 hours! When he finally returned home a day and a half later, the dog was
already dead.
Sign the petition to demand justice!The dog, whose name has not been released, was only two-and-a-half years old when his handler essentially neglected him to death. A veterinarian who performed the necropsy confirmed that the young animal had died from severe dehydration leading to heatstroke. Can you imagine this poor animal slowly roasting to death, desperately waiting for his human to come home and save him?
Even worse - this dog hasn't been the only one to suffer such a tragic, preventable fate. The two leading causes of death for police dogs are gunfire and heatstroke. Research into the deaths of more than 400 K-9s suggests that heatstroke kills around 20% of police dogs, usually from being neglected and left unattended, and from "mechanical failures."
Dogs are precious sentient beings who are loyal, love us, and want to help. It is not acceptable to just accept service from them and then abandon them to cook to death in the heat!
The sheriff's office has refused to release the name of the man who let his dog die. We do know that the officer was placed on administrative leave and later resigned. That's not good enough.
Sign the petition to demand a formal, independent investigation into this incident, as well as for this officer to be charged with the crime of animal cruelty (just as any non-officer naturally would be).