TACOMA, Wash. – Barney, the Tacoma police narcotics dog that became sick after ingesting methamphetamine during a drug investigation, has died.
The Olympian reports (http://bit.ly/1FXrMm7 ) that the 11-year-old black Labrador mix died Wednesday night.
His handler, Officer Henry Betts, rushed him to a veterinary hospital on Tuesday after the dog touched his nose to meth at a Puyallup storage unit. He was with officers who were serving a search warrant.
Narcotics dogs are trained to alert their handlers to drugs by placing their nose on them. In this case, Barney accidentally inhaled residue from the meth.
He suffered seizures and his body temperature reached 109 degrees.
Vets said Barney was more responsive Wednesday morning but he passed away that evening.
Pierce County prosecutors say they haven't decided whether they'll amend charges against the three defendants to include Barney's death.
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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com
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