Hot Cruisers Kill More K9s Than Stray Bullets

October 10, 2008

More K9 police dogs have died this year in Florida from overheating in patrol cars than from gunfire. The deaths could have been prevented with technology. (Pet Pulse Photo by Alicia Zaitsu, Design by Tim Mattson)

MIAMI -- Two police K9 Unit dogs' lives were recently lost in the line of duty in Florida. Their untimely deaths didn't come from being caught in a crossfire, but rather from overheating while they waited in patrol cars.

They aren't alone. More Florida police dogs have died in overheated cruisers than from gunfire this year.

"It's tragic," Sgt. Timothy Houser, of the Miami Beach K9 Unit, said of the two dogs' deaths.

Eight-year-old Hieke, a wire-haired terrier and Labrador mix, died after being left for two hours in a blazing police car.

Another dog, Sam Diesel, died in a similar manner in July.

While Hieke's cruiser was outfitted with a heat-sensing system, authorities in Coral Springs, Fla., say the dog's handler forgot to leave the engine running, which prevented the system from working.

Authorities in Coral Springs, Fla., say her handler will not be charged because it was an accident.

The "Hot-N-Pop" heat-alarm system is routinely set to a threshold temperature of 85 degrees, and will alert officers when the heat reaches a level unsafe for the dogs.

If the temperature exceeds that, the system sends the cruiser into "full alert mode."

First, the back windows of the squad car open and a fan starts blowing outside air into the car. Then the car's alarm system goes off and the emergency lights start flashing to warn officers that the dog is in danger.

The latest edition of the alert system comes with a remote pager that fits on the officer's gun belt. The pager will vibrate if the temperature in the car gets too hot.

"The technology keeps getting better throughout the years, like all technology," Sgt. Houser said.

Still, technological advancements can't always step in for human action.

"(One of our officers) left the car to do paperwork inside and the alarm went off and when he noticed the alarm, he ran out to his car and it was hot inside the car, but luckily enough the equipment, that was installed in there, worked perfectly," Sgt. Houser said.

According to news reports, a heat-sensing system was on order for the patrol car where Sam Diesel died in July.

Authorities in Mulberry, Fla., say the car's air conditioner failed, bringing the German Shepherd's life to a horrific end.

"I hate to hear it," Sgt. Houser said. I have to almost turn off on the TV when I see it on the news. I hate to hear it because, I mean, the technology is out there."

While all cruisers in the Miami Beach K9 Unit are already equipped with the "Hot-N-Pop" system, the technology is common but not mandatory in Florida.

With a system costing less than $1,000, and in a region where the average high temperature throughout the year hovers around 80 degrees, it's affordable technology to protect a priceless investment.

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