A police dog from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is off duty during an investigation after escaping and killing another dog in Thornton on Sunday.
Sgt. Matt Kandt, a spokesman for the Thornton Police Department, said the incident happened Sunday morning when the police dog was at an event with its handler in Thornton. The pair were off duty but on call.
The K-9, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois named Freia, escaped out of her handler’s vehicle and “got into a confrontation with another dog” at Trail Winds Park near 135th Avenue and Holly Street, Kandt said.
The other dog, an 11-year-old shih tzu, did not survive.
Kandt said Thornton police cited Freia’s handler for the animal attack and for having a dog at large. Both charges will go to Thornton Municipal Court. The handler is not on any kind of administrative leave, said Lt. Glenn Peitzmeier, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
As procedure, Freia is on a 10-day quarantine at home.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release the department’s professional standards unit is also conducting an internal investigation.
“Our hearts go out to the owners of the dog that was killed,” said Sheriff Tony Spurlock in the news release. “As dog lovers ourselves, we know how hard it is when a family loses a pet. We assure them that we are conducting a thorough internal investigation into how this happened, and we are fully cooperating with the Thornton Police Department.”