San Leandro Police Dog Fatally Mauls Another Dog

BRENTWOOD (BCN) -- A San Leandro police dog fatally mauled another dog in Brentwood in an incident that is still under investigation, police said Friday.

Adam Lovell was walking Chloe, his 6-year-old Finnish Spitz, along
a trail behind his house in Brentwood on December 26.

He came across a group of four adults with two children and three dogs, Lovell said.

One of those dogs was Arago, a German shepherd and one of San Leandro's three police dogs. Arago's police handler was not present, Lovell said.

Chloe was leashed when they approached the group, according to Lovell.

"I was in the middle, separating the group from my dog," he said.

"When I was right beside Arago and the woman walking him, he started to growl and bark."

The woman handling Arago yelled, "I can't control him," Lovell
said.

Arago bit Chloe in the back, right above her tail. "He latched on and wouldn't let go," Lovell said.

Lovell rushed Chloe to the vet, where she underwent emergency surgery but died two days later from her injuries.

The incident is still under investigation, San Leandro police Lt. Jeff Tudor said.

Arago has been an active police dog for about three years, Tudor
said, and this is his first case of an unprovoked attack.

"We are looking into all aspects of this incident, seeing if there are any rule violations. Once the investigation is complete, we'll take appropriate actions based on our findings," Tudor said.

Lovell said he wants Arago to be re-certified as a police dog, at the very least, to make sure that he is stable.

"The last I heard, the officer and the dog are still active, and that's a slap in the face," Lovell said.

He also wants the dog's handler to be held accountable.

"If he was there, this probably wouldn't have happened," Lovell said.

"He can't just hand his gun over to a family member, and this dog is a weapon."

The San Leandro police don't consider their dogs to be weapons, Tudor said.

"They're a tool that we use to help us do police work."

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