Jeg, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois
Officer Korey LankowTUCSON, AZ (CBS5/KOLD) -
A K-9 for the Arizona Department of Public Safety was put down Thursday afternoon after being left in a hot car.
Jeg, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, was rushed to a veterinary hospital where he was listed in stable condition Wednesday, but according to DPS Officer Carrick Cook, his condition later worsened.
Canine District Commander Capt. Jenna Mitchell made the decision to put the dog down.
Jeg was found in severe heat distress in a patrol car at the DPS Tucson headquarters on South Tucson Boulevard near Valencia Road. He had been in the car about an hour.
DPS says his handler, Officer Korey Lankow, was switching vehicles when he was immediately dispatched to a rollover accident on I-19. He never reached the accident scene.
When Lankow realized he had left Jeg behind, he turned around and returned to headquarters. It was about 98 degrees outside and between 100 and 115 degrees inside the car.
DPS said Jeg worked with Lankow for nearly three years. Lankow has worked with DPS since 2005. Prior to that he had a 22-year career with the United States Air Force.
He is on administrative leave while the Tucson Police Department and the DPS Special Investigations Unit investigate.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. KOLD contributed to this report.
