Police K9 Sky dies after severe injury during kennel confinement
Police service dog Sky, a Belgian Malinois, has died after suffering severe injuries while trying to escape months of confinement.
The five-year-old dog served as an arson detection specialist in Limpopo.
She was placed in retirement and removed from her human handler, reportedly earlier this year. Since then she was kept in cages, developing extreme stress and separation anxiety. In March she was moved to the SA Police Service (SAPS) K9 facility in Roodeplaat near Pretoria. Her wellbeing did not improve.
DA MP Ian Cameron, chairperson of the parliamentary committee on police, said he was told she had been confined to a kennel at Roodeplaat for 18 hours a day with no natural light for six months.
The dog was found in a blood-soaked kennel on Monday morning, after another failed escape attempt. Her leg became trapped in the kennel gate. She suffered multiple fractures, including an open fracture through the skin, cuts to her face and leg and extensive bleeding.
She was taken to Onderstepoort for emergency treatment. On Wednesday morning, she was euthanised due to the catastrophic nature of the injuries.
“Sky’s condition deteriorated severely overnight. I have been informed the open fracture to her left front leg had caused tissue in the limb to begin dying. She also had a fracture to her right front leg, where the skin had started dying.
“Her muscles had suffered extensive damage and were beginning to break down, causing her urine to turn red.
“This indicated her body could no longer cope with the trauma, and there was a strong suspicion her organs were beginning to fail.
“Her condition made surgery and anaesthesia extremely dangerous. After consultation with her treating doctors, the agonising decision was taken to euthanise her and prevent further suffering,” Cameron said.
Onderstepoort will conduct a clinician-led post-mortem examination and compile a formal report on its findings.
This is not only about one dog. Sky’s death raises grave questions about the supervision, management and welfare of every animal entrusted to SAPS.— DA MP Ian Cameron, chairperson of the parliamentary committee on police
Cameron on Tuesday opened a criminal complaint into the conditions the dog had been kept in. He was concerned the dog’s suffering had been preventable.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said in a statement earlier on Wednesday an investigation had been launched into the circumstances around the dog’s treatment.
“Sky is no longer an operational K9 and had a history of escaping from the kennels at her previous K9 base in Limpopo. A decision was therefore taken to accommodate her at the veterinary facility while arrangements were being made for her placement with a suitable new owner. The donation process was under way when the incident occurred,” Mathe said.
Cameron disclosed that officials at Roodeplaat were concerned about Sky’s well-being prior to this.
A police veterinary certificate, signed on August 28, recorded that Sky was admitted to Roodeplaat in March with injuries linked to her kennel stress and previous escape attempts. These included wounds to her face and legs and damage to her teeth, with some teeth having been torn from her jaw before her admission to Roodeplaat.
“The certificate states her attempts to escape remained ‘persistent and compulsive’ during her admission and resulted in significant reinjury. It further records she continued trying to escape when left unattended.”
Sky was diagnosed with separation anxiety and severe kennel stress, Cameron said.
Sky is no longer an operational K9 and had a history of escaping from the kennels at her previous K9 base in Limpopo. A decision was therefore taken to accommodate her at the veterinary facility while arrangements were being made for her placement with a suitable new owner. The donation process was under way when the incident occurred.— National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe
“The certificate expressly states her prognosis in the SAPS environment was poor and she could not remain there without compromising her welfare.
“This was recorded in writing 10 days before the incident that ultimately led to her death.”
Cameron said he had been informed permission had been sought for Sky to be taken to a suitable home temporarily while a formal application was being processed.
“According to the information supplied, that request was not escalated.
“This is important because SAPS’s statement creates the impression officials were diligently searching for a suitable owner.
“The information available indicates a suitable and willing person had already been identified, and members had proposed an immediate way of removing Sky from the kennel environment while the paperwork was finalised.
“SAPS must explain how a supposedly active placement process was allowed to drag on for about 160 days while its own veterinary personnel knew confinement placed Sky at risk.
“It must also establish exactly when the donation process began, what steps were taken, who was responsible for each step and why the request for temporary home placement was not acted on.”
Cameron has also referred the matter to the NSPCA’s Special Projects Unit and the South African Veterinary Council.
“An internal SAPS inquiry cannot be the only process investigating SAPS’s own conduct.
“This is not only about one dog. Sky’s death raises grave questions about the supervision, management and welfare of every animal entrusted to SAPS.
“All veterinary records, post-mortem findings, biological samples, CCTV footage, kennel registers, duty rosters, inspection records and internal communications must be preserved.
“Sky served the police and depended entirely on SAPS for her protection. She could not speak for herself or escape the decisions made about her life. Her death cannot be reduced to an unfortunate accident or administrative delay.
“Those who knew about the danger, had the authority to act and failed to protect her must be independently investigated and, where supported by the evidence, prosecuted.”