K-9 Dog Dead: Officer Makes Horrendous Mistake That Costs Partner His Life

A K-9 Dog is dead after his handler made a mistake police warn constantly about this time of year. Mason was a “Community Relations” K-9 dog for the Gulf Shores Police Department in Gulf Shores, Alabama. He wasn’t an enforcement dog, and if he had been, he may still be alive today.

On June 18, Corporal Josh Coleman was in the process of going off duty when he realized he had left his K-9 dog, Mason, in his patrol car. Sgt. Jason Woodruff explained to WLOX what transpired.

“On discovering Mason’s absence Cpl. Coleman located him in the vehicle.”

Woodruff explained that upon discovering Mason in distress they rushed him to a local vet. From there, he was transferred to Pensacola for further treatment.

“He was treated aggressively for his condition and there were hopeful signs that Mason was doing better Friday morning. However, Friday evening, Mason’s condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Around 11:00 PM on Friday night Mason went into respiratory failure and passed away.”

The Gulf Shores Police Department has stated that sanctions have been taken. At the moment, Officer Coleman is not being arrested for the death of Mason. However, the District attorney has not ruled out the possibility.

“The District Attorney’s Office was contacted by Lt. Bill Cowan of the Gulf Shores Police Department on Saturday, June 20, 15, regarding the death of a K-9 Officer. Based on the preliminary information, the assistant district attorney agreed with Lt. Cowan that an arrest was not appropriate at that time. The investigation is ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, a Grand Jury will perform a review of the facts and determine if any criminal conduct has or has not occurred.”

As mentioned earlier, Mason was a K-9 dog, but he did not serve in an enforcement capacity. Enforcement K-9 vehicles are usually equipped with fail safes that would prevent something like this from happening. Many times remote heat alarms as well as water bowls are in the vehicle. The idea is that these dogs usually spend a great deal of time in their vehicle.

According to PETA, on a 90-degree day, the temperature in a car can reach 160 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. In these conditions a dog can suffer a heat stroke after only 15 minutes.

Opinions have varied in Gulf Shores over the fate of the police officer in this K-9 dog case. Where do you stand? Has he been punished enough, or should charges be filed?

[Photo by WKRG]