RIP K9 Jag - Page 4

You know, I really don't know how it could happen, for myself, too! I never left my babies alone in the car, or forgot a dog in hot weather.  But I have left a candle burning in my home before, and I am just lucky it didn't burn the house down and kill my pets. So, I really don't know how to decide what is the answer, if we are seeking justice for a negligent act. 

It is very righteous I think, to react by throwing the book at the cop and the mom, but still, I do think it is more productive for society to try and prevent what I say is a modern day scourge of distraction, instead of adding to our jails. Like I said, in this type of justice, I don't think it can actually solve the problem of what got them into the jail. That issue is sadly, now self- rectified, in my view before they get behing bars, as they are living with the fact they are responsible for the death of a loved one who depended on them.

YR, I get what you are saying, but I think the self-orphaned child had an intent to kill that isn't a part of what happened with this K9 cop. I suppose there are consequences for a cop who does forget all those things you listed, that does not include firing?  That's the thing I am not sure of, should everything about this man now be ignored, every good thing he's ever done, every life he might have saved, be ignored and does he just become what "we" have judged, an unfit person for his job due to his last tragic act.

They do say to athletes, you're only as good as the last thing you have done, it seems to apply here, too. 

but I would bet for sure, the one thing they will never, ever do again, is forget about leaving a helpless being in a death trap of a stifling hot car. 

You would think so, but sadly not true. A senior police officer in charge of a dog training unit in the UK has killed 3 dogs this way, firstly one dog alone and then a Mal and GSD pup together in a second incident. It still makes me feel sick.

Well, there is always the exception, isn't there! That is AWFUL, and even in my most generous of moods, in that case, there is NO excuse. He might even have more serious issues, by the sounds of it.

Every once in a while, I learn some information that totally changes the way I think about something. I used to think that anyone who left a dog or child in a hot car should suffer terrible consequences. You couldn't print the things I said about it. I still think this for people who deliberately or repeatedly do this.

But then I read a Pulitzer prize winning article in the Washington Post about parents whose kids died because they accidentally left the kids in cars that heated up. It totally changed the way I thought. More important, it can help prevent these terrible tragedies from happening. Here's the article. It's long but riveting. Please read it and the one-page companion article about prevention:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446
 
The prevention article:
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030601690.html?sid=ST2009030602446

If you read these articles, any thoughts about devices, reminders, whatever to prevent these tragedies with police dogs? They keep happening.

I do completely fault the K9 officer for not immediately calling the police department and telling them to get the dog out of the car when he realized that he had left the dog behind. My guess is he was more worried about getting into trouble than he was about saving the dog. There is no excuse for that.




 

Wow, great article. It coincides with what I've been trying to say. Had me choked up in a few spots, too. And the prevention article gave some good "memory jogger" tips to prevent this type of awful lapse. 

Truly amazing that, no one type of person is immune, and yes, it could happen to you. 

I've read that before. It's part of why I do my insane OCD routine w/the dogs and my son. It's so scary how easily a break in routine can wreak havoc and cause a tragedy. I feel like if I am religious and fanatical about checking and rechecking, then hopefully my subconscious will kick in should my conscious mind be too distracted. 

Jenni, I don't want to pick on you, but you have had accidents happen. You aren't immune.

You don't want to pick on me? Lmao. Now I know you've totally lost your grip on reality. However, it's none of my affair how you wish to spend your amazing abundance of free time and it doesn't bother me in the least.  Whatever you're rambling about and regardless of what you think, what we're discussing here are not 'accidents' really, as accidents are unpreventable, largely, and even the article calls attention to the fact that "accident" really isn't a good word for the memory failures that cause these tragedies. These are unintentional negligence, not accidents. Accidents are equipment failures, etc. 

And while you're busy "not wanting to pick on me" (still ROFL about that one), be sure to read what I write and make sure your typically snide, catty remarks actually make sense. They really lose their "umph" when they don't make sense, like that last one. 

LOL, That's okay Jenni, I am not going to derail this thread. But if you want to start a new one called, "Mistakes I Made", I'll help you jog your memory.