A criminal investigation has been initiated into the circumstances of an Arizona Department of Public Safety K-9 that was left in a hot squad car for about an hour today, officials said.
The drug-sniffing canine — a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois — was rushed to a veterinary hospital this afternoon.
“He is alive at this point,” said Officer Dave Hopkins, a DPS spokesman, Wednesday night. “Time will tell....each and every day,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins said the dog is in stable condition.
The officer was switching from one vehicle to another at DPS headquarters, 6401 S. Tucson Blvd., and he left the dog in the first vehicle, said Officer Dave Hopkins, a department spokesman.
The K-9 was in the car for more than an hour before the officer returned to get it out of the car, Hopkins said. The temperature at noon in Tucson was 98 degrees.
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The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital by Tucson Fire Department. The criminal investigation by Tucson police will coincide with an internal investigation by the DPS.
The name of the officer who left the canine in the car has not been released. Hopkins said the department wants to let the officer’s family, other officers in the department and the dog’s trainer know of the incident before releasing more information to the public.
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