Beloved fire investigation dog Kai dies aged 10 after helping at hundreds of fires

Kai, a Belgian Malinois, had worked as an investigation search dog for West Midlands Fire Service with handler and owner Mat Dixon, attending the scenes of fires in the West Midlands and sniffing out the causes.

Kai was retired from the service after suddenly losing his eyesight in early January. He continued living at home in Penn with Mr Dixon, and was diagnosed with a brain tumour before being placed in palliative care.

Mr Dixon announced Kai's death on Tuesday evening on Twitter, saying: "Friends, it is with the heaviest of hearts I’m letting you know that Kai gained his wings today.

"He passed with his head on my lap, a chew in his mouth and a wag in his tail.

"I will miss you Kai, more than you could ever know. Until we meet again, Kai."

The fire service released its own statement announcing the death of the 10-year-old fire dog, "an integral member of our team".

A statement said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kai, our much-loved fire investigation dog.

"Kai was an integral member of our team and, with his handler, Mat Dixon, played a vital role in our fire investigation work.

"Our thoughts are very much with Mat at this terribly difficult time.

"Kai, a ten-year-old Belgian Malinois, was retired after suddenly going blind overnight in early January. He was nearing the end of his career with us, but his sudden and unexpected sight issues meant he was unable to continue to carry out his work safely.

"Very sadly, Kai passed away today, March 7, 2023.

"Having conducted fire investigations at hundreds of incidents in the West Midlands and elsewhere, Kai’s service to our communities has been vital.

"We would ask that Mat’s privacy be respected at this time."

Kai lost his sight in January, where tests carried out to find out the cause of his retirement from the fire service found that the Belgian Shepherd’s retinas were found to have detached and his optic nerve had swollen.

Mat described Kai as “quite unsettled” in the first couple of days after going blind, with his tail tucked between his legs and not being up for playing with another of his dogs, a cocker spaniel named Jyn.

In February, Kai was put in palliative care after Mat did not want his beloved dog to have to endure operations, invasive treatments, and chemotherapy.

Before going blind, Kai was used to help sniff out flammable liquids at fire scenes once blazes were extinguished to see if accelerants had been used and arson committed in a role, that meant he relied on his nose just as much as his eyes.

One of only a handful of dogs trained in such work, it meant he travelled across the country despite being based with West Midlands Fire Service.