A dog in the New York City Department of Correction K9 unit died Tuesday after he was found unresponsive inside a department vehicle on Rikers Island, a department spokesperson said.
It is the second dog death at the facility in just over three years.
The dog, Ryder, was found unresponsive about 2:20 p.m. inside a car at the Canine Compound at the Rikers jail facility, according to a “Death of Staff-Canine” incident report viewed by Gothamist.
Ryder was transported to the Animal Medical Center Hospital at 3:15 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m., according to the incident report.
DOC spokesperson Annais Morales said a necropsy is underway and Ryder’s cause of death has not yet been determined. The dog’s handler is not facing disciplinary action at this time, per the department.
“This tragic incident remains under investigation,” Morales said.
Car-cooling system may have failed, department says
The DOC said law enforcement canines across the U.S. are often kept inside department vehicles for extended periods of time.
It said the department has technology inside the vehicles that determines if the interior heat reaches a certain temperature, and if so, the vehicle systems are supposed to automatically lower the windows and activate warning indicators.
The DOC is investigating if the heat-activated safety system worked correctly in Ryder’s case, or if there was a malfunction. K9 handlers are not issued department vehicles but often share them with other staff to get around the 400-acre Rikers Island, the department added.
Morales said no dogs will be left inside unattended department vehicles while Tuesday’s incident is reviewed. Ryder was left with water and food in the vehicle, a department spokesman said.
Ryder’s death comes almost three years after another department dog was found fatally ill after eating soap on Oct. 31, 2020. Department of Correction K9 Bingo died after chewing into a gallon of concentrated industrial soap that had been left on the…
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