Police dog attacks handler; put down
07:28 AM EDT on Thursday, August 19, 2004
The Bardstown police chief says he wants the city's canine program to
continue even after their only police dog had to be shot for attacking his partner.
It happened early Sunday morning in Howardstown in the far southern part of
Nelson County.
Officer Will Strunk and his canine, Clint, met deputies in a remote area to
search for a suspect. Clint was a Belgian breed and was trained to track,
find drugs, and bite.
Police say the dog seemed jumpy and eventually bit the officer on the arm
twice. The second time he refused to let go.
A deputy fired a half-dozen pepper ball shots but the dog wouldn't let go.
"I think that did not faze him at all, probably just antagonized him more,"
Chief Charles Marksbury said. "After a couple of minutes the officer couldn't
take it anymore he told him just to shoot him to get him off him."
Officers buried Clint Sunday afternoon. He had been with the Bardstown
Police Department for two years.
His handler, Officer Will Strunk, is on sick leave.
The dog bite left 20 deep puncture wounds, some down to the bone. His injury
required 16 stitches.
Clint and Officer Will Strunk are frequently called out to help several
other agencies when officers are looking for suspects. That's what officers were
doing early Sunday morning. The K-9 attacked and the shot that killed the dog
came from a deputy's weapon.
Bardstown police got their K-9 Clint two years ago -- trained to find drugs,
track suspects, and bite.
"Go out, lay a track and Will and k-9 would go out and he always found it,"
says Chief Charles Marksbury of the Bardstown Police Department. "That was
something we were really proud of, that he was a good tracking dog."
Clint was a Belgian breed. Early Sunday morning, Clint and his handler met
deputies in Howardstown ear the borders of Larue, Nelson and Marion counties,
looking for a suspect under a bridge.
"It was totally pitch dark down there and it was foggy because it was right
down on the river," Marksbury says. "All of a sudden, he just turned and
grabbed the officer by his left arm. He let go the first time and then he grabbed
and bit down the second time. He couldn't get him off."
That breed has powerful jaws. Deputies thought Officer Strunk's arm was
broken. A deputy grabbed a pepper ball gun shot the dog a half-dozen times. Clint
didn't let go.
"Probably just antagonized him more. After a couple of minutes, the officer
couldn't take it anymore. He told him just to shoot him to get him off of
him."
Officer Strunk is on sick leave he had 20 puncture wounds from Clint's bite,
many down to the bone. Strunk got 16 stitches in his left arm. Bardstown
officers aren't sure why Clint attacked his owner and partner.
"It's got us all puzzled, what caused him to do this. We just figured it was
all the commotion and he's not used to being around that many people,"
Marksbury says.
Bardstown officers buried Clint Sunday. The chief says even after this
incident, he wants to see the 10-year canine program continue.
Chief Marksbury said Clint was very aggressive but also was an excellent
tracking dog. A while back a deputy was nearly hit by a car and the people
inside fled on foot. Clint tracked them down the highway, through the woods and
found them in a cornfield.
This does not come as a big surprise to me, as we
always say in training our handlers get more bites then crooks do, it happens,
but I have never seen or heard of the department putting down a dog. But I
was not there and I am quite confident they did what they had to do to end the
situation.
Thank you for the story. My prayers go out to the department, and handler
and the K-9. Some things you just cannot figure out why? I do know any dog at
any time no matter its training if it be a PSD or a family protection dog can
turn on you for no reason.
