Bear The Police Dog Leaves Animal Hospital

A New York City police dog that heroically broke up a subway fight last week was honoured while leaving the animal hospital Wednesday. An honour guard of police officers and police dogs lined up and welcomed Bear back to the force.

Last Tuesday morning Bear and his handler, Officer Vincent Tieniber, came to the aid of another officer who was attempting to break up a fight between four women on a subway platform.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, when we come to the scene, people cooperate,” said Tieniber. “No one really wants to be bit by a dog.”

Unfortunately one of the women was extremely uncooperative. In the scuffle Bear was kicked in the mouth as she resisted arrest. Bear did not let this stop him from getting the job done. When the women kicked at Bear a second time he clamped down on her foot until she was handcuffed.

The ordeal left Bear with several broken teeth, a cut up tongue and a swollen snout.

On Wednesday he was able to leave the animal hospital and when he did he was greeted by his fellow NYPD K-9 officers. Bear will require a few more weeks of rest and treatment, but will make a full recovery and return to work once he is recovered.

The woman responsible for kicking Bear is facing several charges, including injuring a police animal.

News Link:-http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/06/bear-the-police-dog-leaves-animal-hospital/

Bear the NYPD K9 Dog Leaves Hospital

Uploaded on 26 Jun 2013

Jaris Update: Man who Threw Dog From Window Gets Prison Time

Back in April we brought you the story of Jaris, the Belgian malinois police dog that was thrown from a second-story window by a parolee refusing to surrender. 

We are please to tell you that the man has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Police had arrived at the Fontana, California home of Brian Bills, who had violated his parole.  The woman who answered the door claimed he was not home, but police saw him trying to escape out of an upstairs window.  He refused to comply, so a K-9 was sent after him.  Jaris lunged toward the man, and using the dog’s forward momentum, Bills propelled him out the window.

“Jaris was not able to stop himself and fell to the concrete below,”police explained.

Miraculously, Jaris survived.  But after landing on his head, his nose was bleeding and he was staggering, so he was immediately rushed to an emergency veterinarian.  He has suffered some nerve damage between his brain and sinuses, but after spending enough time recuperating, Jaris returned to work.

Bills continued to resist arrest even after Jaris’ shocking plummet to the ground.  He was caught and pleaded guilty to one count each of resisting a peace officer and intentional injury to a police dog.  Today he was sentenced to three years in prison.  Yes, we know – not nearly long enough.

 News Link:–http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/jaris-update-man-who-threw-police-dog-from-window-gets-prison-time/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

Beloved Police Dog Fighting Cancer

“For a dog that has given his all & served the force, his entire life, I think it’s disgraceful that the police department don’t cover all his cost’s. They wouldn’t have found so many drugs if it wasn’t for Enno! I think he has earned his stripes, the police force should stand beside one of their own & pay up…I bet the big wigs in the state department, are saying, ‘well it’s only a dog’…so he is, but he has never asked for anything apart from food & warmth…It’s not like he gets a monthly salary, but if he did, for all the years he has worked…it would be enough to cover all his cost’s….so stop being so dam stingy & pay up for whatever he needs!”

For seven years Sargent Jeff Salstrom and Enno have been partners on the Hoquiam Police force. Salstrom was devastated when he got the news that Enno had a life-threatening cancerous tumor.

Now Salstrom and the police department are trying to raise the funds necessary to help their fellow officer.

Jeff Salstrom dreamed of having a police dog since he was a little boy. Enno is the only police dog the Hoquiam Police force has and for seven years he has been riding with Salstrom in his squad car. Enno has been a part of 57 arrests and he has helped find hundreds of pounds of drugs. Now Enno needs help.

Enno has a life-threatening cancerous tumour growing behind his left eye. “It was devastating news to hear he had a tumour,” said Salstrom. The tumour has caused Enno to go blind in his one eye. His jaw has become too sore to clamp down hard like he is trained to do.

Enno has undergone radiation treatments to help reduce the size of his tumour  but the treatment is costly. The police department only has $3,000 set aside each year for Enno and already his medical bills have reached $5,000. So Salstrom and the rest of the police force have been fundraising with t-shirts, stickers and garage sales. They have even set up a Facebook page to help support Enno.

A Seattle bio-tech company has offered to fly Salstrom and Enno to San Diego and pay for an experimental treatment once Enno is able to complete his radiation treatment. The experimental treatment has been successful in other cases, but has never been tried on a tumor like Enno’s. Salstrom believes it is worth trying, “We are working to preserve his life.”

Video & News Link:-:-http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Hoquiam-raising-money-to-help-beloved-police-dog-fight-cancer-177392141.html?tab=video&c=y

Police Officer Suspended Over Police Dog’s Death

“This was a police officer, so he had some brains, if the car had an alarm to alert officers with dogs of high internal temperatures; chances are all the officers knew of it, what it was for & that it ONLY worked when engine running. What part of the above didn’t he understand?? Some may think I’m being a tad harsh on the guy, but it was his job to care for that life, in his car! What was more important to make him turn the engine off & leave it off, which killed the dog! Perhaps it was his lunch break. Unpaid suspension & no other dog, excuse me if I don’t jump for joy!”

A Des Moines police officer has been given a three-day unpaid suspension for the death of his police dog.

The Des Moines Register says an internal investigation laid out discipline recommendations for Officer Brian Mathis. Harley, a 7 year-old yellow lab died August 29 after Mathis left him in an unmarked car at the police station for over an hour.

In addition to the suspension, Mathis won’t be eligible for another dog.

“He’s taken full responsibility,” said Des Moines Police Chief Judy Bradsaw. Mathis “recognizes the consequences, he’s living with them everyday. It was not his intent to ever leave the dog in the car.”

Mathis’ car had an alarm system to protect police dogs from the heat, but the system only works if the car is running.

The Des Moines Register reports that the department will buy a new system that can pop the doors or start the engine and alert officers if temperatures reach a dangerous level, even if the car isn’t running.

“These are dog people, they love animals,” Bradshaw said. “Anything I do to (Mathis), it won’t be as severe as what he’s doing to himself.”

News Link:-http://wqad.com/2012/10/09/police-officer-suspended-over-police-dogs-death/

Deputy put on leave after 2 police dogs die in hot SUV

A Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave this week after the two police dogs he cared for were left inside a sweltering county vehicle overnight, killing them, authorities said.

Metro daily – Deputy Steve Benoy, left, of the Bexar County Sheriff K9 Unit salutes as he holds his dog Blitz, as taps are played for Andor, badge number 007, who was retired today during a memorial service after passing away June 27, 2007, Friday, July 6, 2007

Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Benoy, who has been with the office for 23 years, is on a 10-day leave while the department investigates the deaths of the two Belgian Malinois. Although authorities said they believe the dogs suffered from apparent heat exhaustion, Animal Care Services is conducting a necropsy.

According to Deputy Chief Ronald “Dale” Bennett, Benoy drove the dogs to his Adkins home, 23 miles east of San Antonio, after he got off work around 2 p.m. Tuesday, just like he did every day.

“He had a routine,” Bennett said.

But Benoy then left town for the night. When he returned home Wednesday, the dogs weren’t where he usually keeps them when at home, Bennett said.

Instead, Benoy found the dogs where he had left them: in a county-owned Chevrolet Tahoe fitted with dog kennels. Animal Care Services was called to retrieve the bodies.

Officials did not immediately release the names and ages of the dogs, but Bennett said one was a narcotics dog and the other was assigned to patrol.

“It’s just a very tragic accident,” Bennett said, adding that Benoy “is completely devastated.”

Benoy, who Bennett said has been a K-9 handler for 13 years and spent 10 years before that on patrol, declined to comment Thursday on the deaths.

The sheriff’s office is conducting dual investigations, one to rule out animal cruelty and the other for administrative purposes. Bennett said a decision on any further action against Benoy won’t be made until the investigation is complete.

“After the 10 days, it depends on what the investigation reveals,” Bennett said, adding that Benoy is “one of my most dedicated guys.”

According to state law, a person could face a charge of animal cruelty if the offense is committed “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly.” The charge is a Class A misdemeanor.

Two years ago, a Bexar County K-9 named Duke died of medical complications after he was left in a patrol car for 15 minutes with the air-conditioning running. Duke hadn’t been acting normal earlier in the day, officials said at the time, and his handler was making arrangements to take him to the veterinarian. No charges were brought in that case.

Handlers take their animals home overnight, Bennett said, and the county pays for their kennels. Benoy has other dogs of his own and also raises horses, he said. The county’s policy regarding care requirements for police dogs was not immediately available Thursday.

Sharon Gregory, the executive secretary of the Veterinary Medical Association of Bexar County who also manages a vet clinic, said handlers work with their police dogs during the day and go home together at night.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Deputy-put-on-leave-after-2-police-dogs-die-in-3737733.php#ixzz229GTB6RZ

Former Watsonville officer charged with neglecting his K-9 partner – San Jose Mercury News

SALINAS – A former Watsonville police dog has been seized by the SPCA for Monterey County and its owner, a former Watsonville police officer, is facing misdemeanor charges.

The severely emaciated and dehydrated dog, a German shepherd, belonged to former Watsonville officer Francisco Ibarra.

Ibarra was fired by the Watsonville Police Department in 2010 “for cause”. Last week, Ibarra filed suit against the city.

Sgt. Stacy Sanders of the SPCA said an anonymous tip led them to Ibarra’s Salinas home where they found Ingo, who weighed just 55 pounds, about 25 pounds less than a healthy 5-year-old German shepherd should weigh.

Fired Watsonville police officer Francisco Ibarra was one of two officers to receive a police dog in the fall of 2007. In May 2010, the department fired Ibarra for inappropriate use of force in an incident that involved his new canine partner, Ingo. In February 2012, Ingo was seized by Monterey County SPCA officials after he was found severely emaciated in the backyard of Ibarra’s Salinas home. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel file)

Ingo’s hips and ribs were prominently showing and there was no food in the backyard.

Ibarra was given 24 hours to respond to the SPCA. When he did not, officers seized Ingo on Feb. 17. Within a day or two Ingo passed sand, dirt and grass, which he’d ingested.

“When dogs aren’t fed in a timely manner, they will resort to eating grass and dirt and rocks and their own feces to keep themselves alive,” Sanders said.

Ingo scored just a 1 on the canine body condition score chart. The canine body condition score chart goes from 1-5 with 1 being emaciated, 3 considered ideal and 5 being obese.

Other than being emaciated, Ingo has no other medical issues, Sanders said, which led SPCA officials to believe he’d been neglected.

“He is slowly recovering and gaining weight on a specialized diet on a prescribed feeding schedule,” according to Beth Brookhouser of the SPCA.

Just one month later, Ingo has gained 15 pounds.

The case was forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office, which has filed charges against Ibarra, Sanders said.

Terry Spitz, Monterey County’s chief assistant district attorney, said Friday Ibarra was charged with two counts of misdemeanor failing to take care of an animal. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 18. The penalty, if he’s convicted, is six months in County Jail and a $1,000 fine.

Ibarra was not arrested. He was cited and summoned to appear in court, Spitz said.

via Former Watsonville officer charged with neglecting his K-9 partner – San Jose Mercury News.