While a Delaware police department worried about the fate of one of its police dogs — shot in the line of duty last week — it suddenly lost another one.
Bandit, a 6-year-old German shepherd who had served four years in the K-9 unit of the New Castle County Police Department, was euthanized Monday after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, according to Delmarvanow.com.
The dog had worked Saturday, and became ill Sunday night. He was rushed to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital — the same hospital where another of the department’s dogs, Diablo, was being treated for two gunshot wounds sustained in the line of duty four days earlier.
Diablo was shot twice last Wednesday in Wilmington while chasing down a suspect who police said had threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend. Diablo, who developed pneumonia at the hospital, remains in stable condition.
Bandit was surrounded by his handler Cpl. Paul Chickadel, family and friends when he died, police officials said.
In 2008, Bandit sniffed out $32,445 in connection with drug investigations, responding to 389 canine calls and assisting in four arrests. In June, the team was certified in narcotics detection, tracking and patrol work by the National Police Canine Association.
The department said arrangements have not been finalized for a memorial service.
Blade, the German shepherd police dog who was mistakenly shot by a police officer Sunday appears to be recovering nicely, judging from this Baltimore Sun video.
The Sun’s Peter Hermann reports on his blog, Baltimore Crime Beat, that Blade suffered a gunshot in the left shoulder from a .40 caliber handgun.
Officer Steven W. Sturm, Blade’s handler, told reporters outside the Falls Road Animal Hospital that the dog might be able to go back to work. “He’s a tough dog,” Sturm said.
Blade was shot while pursing several people who bailed from a car whose driver evaded a traffic checkpoint. The dog’s handler released Blade from his leash and commanded him to track down the running suspects. A police officers who was approaching from the other direction, was attacked by the dog and fired his weapon, not knowing it was a police dog.
“They were just both in the same spot at the same time, and Blade was doing what he was taught to do,” Sturm said. He added, “It’s dangerous because unlike us … we see somebody with a gun or a weapon, or whatever, we will get out of the way. Dogs react totally the opposite. They go. No matter what they see, they’re going to be going unless we call them off.”
The Atlanta Humane Society added $5,000 to the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot and killed a Griffin Police Department German Shepherd.
The dog’s handler, Griffin police Cpl. Chad Moxon, and his family had already put up $1,000 , according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Moxon discoverd Jimi, the police dog, and his own dog, Yeager, missing from their kennel at his home in Lamar County last week.
Moxon said he searched all Monday night and most of Tuesday night for the dogs, handing out about 300 flyers. On Wednesday morning he received a call about a German shepherd found dead in a ditch. It turned out to be Jimi. The 3-year-old dog was shot in the side with a shotgun and dumped there.
“I just sat down in the ditch for the next 30 minutes. I didn’t have the energy to get him out,” Moxon said.
Shortly after he got home a neighbor called with the news that Yeager had been found, badly beaten, but alive.
“Hes still at home recovering,” Moxon said of his 2-year-old dog, also a German Shepherd. ” I’m hoping he’ll recover in the next few days.”
The police dog shot by a Baltimore police officer is expected to make a full recovery, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Blade, who mistakenly attacked an officer during a pursuit of a suspect, underwent surgery today, according to staff at the Falls Road Animal Hospital, where the German shepherd was being treated.
The dog should be released this week, said Dr. Keisha Adkins, who performed the surgery. The dog faces four to six weeks of restricted movement but should be able to comfortably walk after that. Adkins said the surgery involved removing bullet fragments from the dog’s shoulder.
The unidentified officer who shot Blade wasn’t aware he was a police dog, a police department spokesman said.
A case of double mistaken identity led to a Baltimore police officer shooting the Baltimore police dog who attacked him Sunday night.
Police called in a K-9 unit to help chase a man who drove through a checkpoint near Wegworth Park, off of Hollins Ferry Road, then exited his car and started running, according to a report in the Baltimore Sun
When the K-9 unit arrived, a German shepherd named Blade was unleashed to pursue the motorist. When another officer arrived on the scene from a different direction, he was attacked by the dog. The dog, possibly mistaking him for the suspect, leapt on the officer and bit him about the upper body.
The unidentified officer, not knowing the dog was a police dog, pulled out his handgun and shot the dog at least once in the face.
A police spokesman said the dog was taken to Falls Road Animal Hospital in Mount Washington, where he underwent surgery for a bullet wound. The spokesman said he did not know how many times the dog was shot, or what condition he was in.
The officer, who was wearing body armor, was not seriously injured.
