46 Police dogs have died in hot patrol cars

Video: Officer’s 3 year old daughter dies after hours locked in hot patrol car

Video: Cop Charged With Death of K9 Now Investigated for Killing Retired Police Dog

At least 64 working police dogs have died of heat exhaustion since 2011, with 46 of those having perished while trapped inside a hot patrol car.

Whether these deaths were a result of negligence, equipment malfunction, or simple stupidity, each and every case of heat stroke-related death is avoidable and preventable.

The interactive graphic below was created by Press-Gazette Media Reporter Adam Rodewald using data from the Officer Down Memorial Page, Connecticut Police Work Dog Association and nationwide news reports. It details the shocking number of heat-related deaths among our 4-legged officers.

Heatstroke is so common, in fact, that it results in more deaths of K9 officers than gunshots, stabbings, and auto accidents each year. Heat-related incidents are the one of the most common causes of canine officer deaths, second only to medical and health-related issues.

Video: San Juan Police Dog Dies in Patrol Car

Hover over each dot in the graphic below for details:

“To our way of looking at things, an officer who allows a dog to die of heat exhaustion on duty is as neglectful as leaving a service revolver on a school playground,” Scott Heiser, director of the criminal justice program for the California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund said.

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