A Bay City, Texas police dog died after she escaped from her enclosure and was struck by a vehicle Tuesday night.
K-9 Kim's handler, Officer Keith Hatton, contacted the police department around 10 p.m. after discovering the dog was missing, according to a news release.
About an hour later, Officer Marino Chavez spotted a vehicle pulled over near the roadway that had struck a dog. The driver said that the dog ran out in front of him and he did not have time to stop. The dog was confirmed to be Kim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hatton said that Kim was frightened by the fireworks on New Year's Eve and climbed a six-foot fence to find her way to the front door of his residence. The officer let her in for the night to help calm her. He said that he believes she climbed out the same way Tuesday night.
"Kim had two personalities. She had her off-duty, playful personality and she had her on-duty personality," Animal Control Officer Dottie Grandstaff said. "When Kim was on-duty, she was all business."
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
