Overview

• Emergency responders found the 3-year-old unresponsive after Monday’s attack and she was pronounced dead at Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital.
• The German Shepherd served only as a narcotics detection dog in Cheyenne County and lacked any patrol or bite-work training when it was donated to Burlington.
• Deputies arrived within minutes to secure the dog in a kennel, and it was later humanely euthanized at the Burlington Dog Pound.
• Kit Carson County and Burlington police agencies are treating the incident as a tragic accident, assuring residents there is no ongoing threat or planned criminal charges.
• The case has prompted renewed scrutiny of transfer and oversight practices for retired K-9s trained solely for scent detection.