Sheriff says not only does the AC stop working but the alarm also fails to go off, resulting in K9 Wix cooking to death in hot patrol car. Hmm, I want an independent investigator.

WISCONSIN -- The Brown County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the unexpected death of a K-9 officer.

The sheriff’s office says K-9 Wix died Wednesday afternoon while on assignment at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

“Wix was a valuable member of this agency and community and will be sadly missed by all,” read a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office says Wix was in a squad car with the engine running and the air conditioning on.  A deputy conducted checks on Wix during the morning. 

At about 12:30 p.m., the deputy found Wix non-responsive in the back of the squad. The air conditioning unit was not working and a K-9 heat alarm failed, according to the sheriff’s office.

Wix’s handler is now coping with his partner’s death.

“He’s holding out. I mean to be honest, it was rough. It’s rough for him because it’s like losing a member of your family and is very hard on him very hard on him, very hard on him,” said Capt. Sandberg, Brown County Sheriff’s Office.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Bay East Animal Hospital are investigating to determine the cause of death.

Wix was a 3-year-old Malinois.  He had been a member of the Sheriff’s Office since April 2014.
The K-9 was a patrol dog trained in tracking and explosive detection.

(WBAY - Aug 13, 2015)