K-9 "Pepper", Wise County (TX) Sheriff's Office

[Retired1]

A suspect and a police dog died during a law enforcement operation along the border of Montague and Wise counties on Wednesday afternoon.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said it all started around 2:30 p.m. when Montague County deputies attempted to arrest a man on an outstanding warrant. The suspect displayed a gun and drove away, with the deputies in pursuit.

DPS said the suspect abandoned his vehicle and fled into a wooded area along a dirt road near the town of Sunset, just north of the Wise County line and about 55 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

A K9 officer named Pepper from the Wise County Sheriff's Office was released to flush out the suspect. But when the Dutch Shepherd located the man, he opened fire and killed the dog.

Troopers returned fire, killing the suspect. His name was not released.

Officers could be seen consoling the dog's handlers at the scene. Pepper was one of the department's newest K9s, on the force for only a few months.

More here:

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2015/01/28/suspect-shot-in-rural-wise-county/22487953/

credit: wfaa.com

 

[JazzDad]

Maybe there's something wrong with me (no, don't y'all jump in), but it really gets me when a K-9 is an LODD.  :cry:

 

[Retired1]

This is not my original reply.

My original reply was based on a misinterpretation / misunderstanding of JazzDad's post above. That misunderstanding led me to believe that his post was disrespectful and I made a post here that indicated my displeasure.  

I retract my original comments and thank JazzDad for his clarification, his intent, and his outlook.

 

[JazzDad]

I was not belittling the loss of the K-9 officer's life in the slightest. 

No one should die in the performance of their duties, especially when it is in defense of the general public.  LEO and military LODD's are, unfortunately, a fact in our crazy society.  What makes the LODD of a dog so much more heart-wrenching for me is that the dog did not really enter his or her occupation under their own volition.  It's somewhat different for a human, who weighs the risk vs the benefit in their career choice.  To the dog, it's just a game.  As an animal lover (and it has been said that I prefer animals to people) I hate to see when a K-9 loses his or her life.

No dishonour was intended.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

They ought to make dog food out of what's left of him.


I can't stand those who shoot dogs except in cases of preservation of life. You don't want to go to jail? Don't commit a crime. Don't want to get bit by a police dog? Surrender when they ask you the first time. The silver lining here is that another waste of food water and air that would shoot at cops because he feels entitled to violate the law has been removed from the gene pool.


Good riddance.

 

[JazzDad]

Follow up: http://www.texomashomepage.com/story/d/story/wise-county-k-9-remembered-during-emotional-servic/31418/dPzXlZM5XEqochcKUgzqcQ

(Teared me up.)