(FOX40.COM) — The results of an investigation into the death of a K9 in June were released on Tuesday afternoon by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
K9 Brando died from heat-related injuries on June 22 at an emergency veterinarian clinic after being pulled from a handler’s vehicle.
The investigation found that Brando’s regular handler was on a family vacation and that he was under the care of another handler at the time and was inside a sheriff’s training vehicle.
The vehicle was equipped with shade, water and air running air conditioning, which the sheriff’s office says is usual so that deputies can attend to their duties.
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However, unlike other sheriff’s K9 vehicles, the training vehicle was not equipped with a heat safety alarm and the air conditioning unexpectedly failed before someone returned to the vehicle.
“A K9 can suffer life-threatening injuries due to heat within 15 minutes,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release. “That is all it takes. We have always stressed and shared this safety concern with the public, and we are now sadly, angrily, and intimately aware of it.”