Thursday, July 02, 2009

Two police dogs die after being left in car during heatwave

The RSPCA is investigating after two police dogs died when they were allegedly left in a dog handler's car during the heatwave. The German shepherds were found in the car at Nottinghamshire's Police's headquarters in Arnold on Tuesday. The police dog handler was off duty but had called into the headquarters at Sherwood Lodge, Arnold.

It is unclear how long the dogs had been in the car on what was the hottest day in Notts for three years – with temperatures rising to 29.3 degrees celsius. The RSPCA has launched an investigation into the incident. A spokeswoman from the charity said: "We are investigating two dogs which have died in a hot car.

"When it's sunny or warm outside, we would urge dog owners not to leave a dog in a car. It can cause health problems and prove fatal. Temperatures can rise to 47 degrees celsius in a car quite quickly and that is enough to kill a dog."

A Notts police spokesman said: "Nottinghamshire Police reported the death of two German shepherd police dogs to the RSPCA on Tuesday, June 30, after they were discovered at force headquarters at 2.15pm. "The incident has also been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The welfare of all animals owned by Nottinghamshire Police is of paramount importance and we endeavour to take every measure possible to ensure their well-being and safety."

The spokesperson said the force could not confirm any further details about the incident, but said no one had been suspended.

Notts Assistant Chief Constable Peter Davies said: ''This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis. That is why we swiftly reported this incident to the RSPCA and we will be working with them very closely."

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