Procedures changed after West Mercia Police dog left in van died from heat
A police dog died after being left in a van with a faulty fan on a hot summer’s day, a report says.
Ivy fell ill while her handler was on a West Mercia Police training course.
The force has now been told it should take more measures to ensure dogs left in vehicles are regularly checked.
The five-year-old Belgian malinois crossbreed had been passed to a new handler after her previous handler from Market Drayton retired. The issue had been the subject of a campaign to allow Ivy to also retire, but the force insisted she had several years of service left.
A review into the death of Ivy was led by neighbouring Staffordshire Police. It found the failure of an extractor fan was the most likely cause of the fatal heatstroke in July.
The dog was found slumped in the van at around midday on July 15, when temperatures were in the high 20s. The handler had been in a training session that started at 10am.
Delay
The inquiry describes desperate efforts to save her, but she was put to sleep by vets the same day. It says Ivy had been in her pod in the back of the van with the air conditioning running to keep her cool.
The inquiry report has made a series of recommendations and has led to a recall and tests of all vehicles used to carry the force’s dogs. It criticised a delay in getting a vet to attend Ivy. It also calls for checks on dogs every 30 minutes.
West Mercia Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Wessell today said the force’s handlers were still “deeply affected”.
He said: “While our police dogs are working dogs, our handlers have a deep, trusting and loving bond with their dogs. I know they acted swiftly to try and save her life.
“We accept Ivy should not have died and we have learned this very harsh lesson in the worst possible way. We have taken on board everything that has been identified.”
