A Brown County, Wisconsin K9 dog died while on special duty at the PGA Championship in Sheboygan when the air condition in a hot patrol car malfunctioned, amping up temperatures to dangerous levels.
The 3-year-old dog, named Wix, had been with the Brown County Sheriff's Office since April 2014 and was used to aid in tracking detecting explosives. Wix's partner, Deputy Austin Lemberger, had left the dog in the patrol car with the engine running and the air conditioner on. The patrol car was also equipped with an alarm that should have alerted Lemberger that the car was too hot for the dog, but that tool malfunctioned as well.
Sheriff's office: "#Wix was a dual purpose patrol dog trained in tracking and explosive detection."— Doug Schneider (@PGDougSchneider) August 13, 2015
In a statement, Brown County sheriff's Lt. Scott A. Semb said, "Wix was a valuable member of this agency and community and will be sadly missed by all. Our thoughts are with Deputy Lemberger while he copes with the loss of his K-9 partner."
Online, the death sparked sadness but also outrage.
Alarms or not, they preach to not leave dogs in cars. Just don't leave them in cars. It's simple. This is sad. https://t.co/0v7JLanafH— Alex Tallitsch (@AlexTallitsch) August 13, 2015
Wix is at least the sixth reported police dog to have died in a hot car this summer, according to a report from the Green Bay Press Gazette, with similar deaths occurring in California, Alabama, Georgia and Texas.
Mashable has reached out to the Brown County Sheriff's Office for further comment.