K9 BART IS DEAD.
K9 Bart sat outside for 36 hours with no water while the man who was supposed to feed him wasn't even home.
Madison County, Tennessee. Bart, a German Shepherd just over 2 years old, worked patrol, criminal apprehension, tracking, article searches, and narcotics. Sheriff Julian Wiser says his own handler left him unattended outside for approximately 36 hours with zero access to water while the heat index sat at 101 degrees.
A university vet program in Mississippi confirmed it: heat stroke from severe dehydration. Preventable. Wiser used that word himself.
The handler got administrative leave, then resigned before anyone could fire him. Now an internal affairs investigation and a criminal investigation are both running, with findings headed to outside authorities.
Thirty six hours. This dog worked apprehension, tracking, narcotics, everything asked of him, and the one thing his handler owed him back was a bowl of water and thirty seconds to check on him. He didn't get either.
A resignation isn't accountability. Charge him.
H/t WBBJ