Vader, a police dog from Arnold, Missouri, died on Wednesday, July 31, after being left inside a hot patrol car.
Arnold Missouri State Police broke the news on Thursday, August 1st. “On July 31, 2024, we lost a member of our K-9 family in a tragic accident.” they wrote on Facebook post.
The police department said 4-year-old police dog Vader died from heat stroke.
“The police dog handler left Vader in the air-conditioned running patrol vehicle, which is necessary and common practice for police dogs when not engaged in police activities.” The police department explained.
“When Vader’s police officer returned to the vehicle, it was discovered that the air conditioning system had failed.”
Police said Bader was quickly transported to a local veterinary hospital where he is expected to recover.
He was then taken to a 24-hour clinic for further treatment. “He died from his injuries.”.
Following the death of K9 Vader, the Arnold Missouri Police Department revealed that they are now equipping all of their K9 vehicles with a system made specifically to make police dogs more comfortable while in patrol cars.
They explained. “All Arnold Police Department K-9 vehicles are equipped with a system that will notify the handler via telephone, activate emergency lights and sirens, sound the horn, activate cooling fans and roll down the vehicle windows if the interior temperature rises to a certain level.”
However, this time the heat warning system failed to go off and K9 Vader was killed.
The police department is currently investigating the situation to determine what happened to the system.
Netizens are left wondering and skeptical about the true cause of the police dog’s death, with one user commenting: “We hope that police will be honest and release information once their investigations are complete. If these police dogs are truly partners to the police community, they deserve better care, especially during these hot weather periods.”
Other users pointed out that the situation was completely unavoidable and that common practice needs to change, regardless of whether the dog belongs to a civilian or a police officer.
“It is unfortunate that a police officer lost his life over something that could have been entirely avoided. If members of the public are reprimanded for leaving their dogs in their cars on a hot day, then so should police. This tragedy cannot be justified as a failure of the system.” The user explains.
Another user said: “A common practice needs to change: taking dogs with you like they’re children.”
K9 Vader is the second police dog to die from heatstroke in Missouri this year. In June, K9 Holus, a police dog in a small town in western Missouri, also died from heatstroke. Died in a hot car After the night shift.
