Here comes another W.T.F. Wednesday where I can’t even make fun of someone.
Police Dog in Tucson Dies After Being Left in Hot Car – Tucson Arizona
The title alone is awful, another dog left alone in a hot car.
In Tucson no less!
The line under the title is worse, “Officer switched cars, forgot about his partner.”
Say it with me.
What the f*ck!
Apparently this police officer switched cars and left immediately for the scene of an accident, as he’s on his way to the scene he suddenly remembers his partner.
Gee, I’m thinking you go to get into the car and think, weapon – check, keys – check, cell phone – check, billy club – check, partner ?, um partner ?
If I worked for the Tucson police department and was assigned to partner with this guy, I’d think long and hard about resigning.
I’ve already said this once this week, I’m in the mentalpause stage of my life. I’ve forgotten quite a few things, most notably inanimate objects that I’ve misplaced somewhere.
Alright, I might have forgotten the kids at work once or twice, and there was that time I left my niece home on the couch while I went to the bus stop, but they weren’t locked in a hot car!
I was reassured however (she says sarcastically) by the final line of the article, “DPS is conducting an internal investigation, and Tucson Police Dept. has agreed to do a criminal investigation to determine whether there was any negligence or other criminal behavior involved.”
I’m sure, unless this guy hates dogs that he did not intentionally leave the dog in the hot car. I would still however question his abilities to remain calm under pressure. If he can forget his dog in a car because he is responding to an accident, what might he do should he discover say….
a tunnel full of illegal immigrants.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Switching gears to the Whoo Hoo portion of today’s post which ironically also includes a police officer.
There have been a number of W.T.F. Wednesdays where I wrote about a police officer responding to a call and shooting an innocent dog. Have you seen this post?
Officer Responds To Dangerous Dog Call, Comes Home With New Best Friend – Baltimore, Maryland (Courtesy of Modified k9 Blogspot)
The officer (Dan Waskiewicz) responded to a ‘vicious dog‘ call and upon arriving at the scene OBSERVED the dog.
After ASSESSING the situation he determined the dog was in distress. He called the dog to him and shared his water, then as he was driving the dog to the shelter, he decided he wanted to keep the dog!
Luckily for Bo, this officer was 1) a dog lover and 2) sensible enough to know the difference between dangerous and distressed, otherwise this story might have ended up in the W.T.F. portion of this post.
Lately I’ve been hearing at least one story a week where an officer shoots an innocent dog. Perhaps observing and assessing should become part of their training.
What do you think? Do you think police officers are properly trained to handle situations involving dogs?
The first story is absolutely horrible. But, strange as it sounds, it’s also very human. Recently, a dad went to work leaving his child in the car. He forgot to drop him off at daycare. The boy died.
The police department is right to launch an investigation. Hopefully it won’t reveal criminal activity. And I bet the officer will never, ever forgive himself for such a terrible lapse.
The real sorrow is that the dog had to suffer for stupid forgetfulness.
Glad you were able to find such a good WooHoo for this week!
It is horrible Pamela but you are right, it is human. That is a sad story about the dad, I think I heard of that at the time, but I’ve also heard of people putting their car seat on top of the car and driving off too. 🙁
I’m sure the investigation won’t involve criminal activity, he was apparently very distraught, but I do question his ability to remain cool under pressure.
The whoo hoo was good, that made me feel a whole lot better. I have to tell you I am thinking of blocking certain posters on facebook, some of the stories are horrendous and you can only handle so much!
I don’t think I can fault the officer in the first story. Sounds like plain old human error. No one is perfect. Not a cop. Not me for sure.
The second one is a great story. I do think police officers could be trained to deal with dogs that they encounter. While I don’t think they all go around adopting strays, I would be willing to bet that there are far more like this officer than those who have a complete disregard for the family Fido.
I’m certain he didn’t do it intentionally but still I wonder, what made him so distracted that he forgot his partner?
I think if police officers were better trained in terms of handling or assessing dogs, you’d see a lot less ‘accidental’ shootings. And if they all adopted strays, then we wouldn’t have shelters! 🙂
It may turn out that the cop is not cut out for the job if easily distracted, but I guess that is what the investigation is for.
Don’t police dogs do everything and go everywhere with their partners? If so, how could the cop not remember he wasn’t in the car? It’s a sorry situation and I do feel for the cop too. Also, I’m reminded of the old saying….”walk a mile in his moccasins.”
Certainly glad for the 2nd dog!
That’s along the line I was thinking. If your partner goes everywhere and does everything with you it would be very routine to check on your partner. Perhaps he was new to having a dog?
I guess I can’t wrap my head around how you forget your partner so I will leave it at that.
The second one is a great story with a happy ending and I wish they all could be that way.
I do think that not only the police but the fire dept., ambulance service, etc. could benefit from animal behavior training.
I think anyone who is out in the streets should be trained with animals. I think I read somewhere that postal workers and meter readers are better with dogs than policemen.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it either Misty.
Absolutely!
I had one meter reader who would bring treats for the dogs when she came to read the meter (one of our meters is inside the house).
I want you to know that I am a huge fan of W.T.F./Whoo Hoo Wednesday!
Thanks Bassa!
Re the first part of this post, this officer should be put on desk duty or leave while the episode is investigated and he is evaluated to determine if he is fit to carry a weapon. Since I’m guessing that’s would happen if his 2 legged partner died or was injured, I feel that his 4 legged partner deserves no less. Re the second part of this post, I really hope that the Baltimore PD learns from this experience and thinks about how to better educate and train its officers so they can properly respond to calls re “vicious” dogs. I feel if more officers had the proper education and training, fewer dogs would die at the hands of police.
Can I get an AMEN! 🙂
I’ve left my groceries in the car after getting home from shopping – but NEVER my dog. Very sad for the dog, and the officer – he’s the one that has to live with it and from what I know about their relationships, they are usually very close.
I saw pictures from the woo hoo- I like happy endings! 🙂
I think I may have left something in the car, something that rolled out of a bag, but I would never forget the dogs! Goodness, I freak out if I have them loaded and forgot something in the house!
Besides which Delilah would bark her fool head off if I left her ANYWHERE! LOL
Every year it seems there are stories about police officers leaving their dog/partners in a hot car to die. I can’t imagine how they are able to live with themselves after that. So sad, but I wonder about their competence in enforcing laws/
I don’t understand it Jan. I read a story last year where they deliberately left the dog in the car, but I cannot remember what the reason was. They got ticked off when someone complained, said the dog was use to it.
What an awful story. This is the kind of thing that just breaks my heart. I don’t think most people are truly aware of the dangers, including police officers. These are the individuals we call upon to rescue animals from these exact situations and yet they make these similar mistakes themselves. We all should know better, police officers especially.
Yay for the level-headed officer who saw the dog was not aggressive but afraid! If only all were as knowledgeable as he is. Love stories like that. 🙂
Wow. And in Tucson? That car must have been like an oven…. how sad, for the dog, and I would imagine, sad for the officer. It is terrible, but like you said, I can’t imagine it was done on purpose…
The second story was wonderful though – how often do you hear something like that? Thanks for sharing!
The first story is just too sad 🙁
Glad the second story had a happy ending 🙂
Wags to all,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
I’m glad you ended with a happy story. I lived in Tucson for 6 years and I’m sure just a few minutes in the car would not be good in the middle of summer.
Ugh, so sad. Cars get so hot, so fast–I’m sure the officer feels terrible. Hopefully he’ll save a shelter animal in memory of his partner.
The whoo-hoo story is a great one! I’m sure officers are just like the rest of us in their responses to animals–widely variable. Officer W. is one I hope will be emulated and applauded!
Reblogged this on Dog House Furever.
Hey Sampson, Hey Delilah, Jetty here. Hi Miss Jodi.
Your post inspired Mom to keep the subject of dogs in hot cars up front. When she found the dog safety thermometer, she thought, maybe police departments need them!