years. Photo: Fresno Police Dept.
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Fresno Police announced on Tuesday that they had to euthanized their canine officer after he attack his human police parter.
The following is the press release sent by the Fresno Police Department on Tuesday:
PRESS RELEASE: It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of one of our K9 partners in a
tragic and unfortunate incident. K9 Odin had been with the Fresno Police Department for the last three years. During the majority of his career, the four-year-old Belgian Malinois was a faithful partner, a trusted patrol K9 and a member of the officer’s family.
Last October, K9 Odin suddenly attacked his partner during a routine training exercise, causing serious injury to the officer, who ultimately had to be hospitalized.
Out of serious concern for the safety of the public and officers, K9 Odin was removed from service. Numerous evaluations also began to determine a cause behind his erratic and unpredictable behavior.
Over a several month period, while he was monitored and examined, no known reason was determined to explain his aggressive action. The veterinarian who treated K9 Odin believed it was possible he may have suffered from an unknown neurological issue.
Unfortunately, K9 Odin’s behavior continued to decline and his aggressiveness towards everyone who was caring for him even intensified. After months of rehabilitation, a final assessment was conducted and the difficult decision to euthanize K9 Odin was made.
This morning, K9 Odin was scheduled for the procedure. Members from the K9 unit gathered to take K9 Odin into the veterinarian’s office. Even after receiving prescribed sedatives to be driven to the office, K9 Odin became extremely aggressive.
K9 Odin attacked a K9 Officer (not his partner) who had been caring for him, aggressively biting him on his arm. Once the officer was unable to get Odin to release his grip, he was forced to make the difficult decision to use his service pistol and shoot K9 Odin, immediately euthanizing him.
Members of the Fresno Police Department are truly saddened with this incident, and we will be forever grateful for his years of service to our community.
