POLICE CANINE PUT DOWN AFTER BITE

Dog Attacked Bystander In The Head When She Reached To Pet Him

A Lancaster County Sheriff's Office canine was euthanized this week
after the animal bit a woman in the head, Sheriff Johnny Cauthen said.

"Kilo," a 3-year-old Belgian malinois, had been with the sheriff's
office since May. The dog was one of five K-9 officers in the
department and was responsible for sniffing out drugs, Cauthen said.

Cauthen said Kilo inexplicably attacked a woman in Kershaw July 8 when
she reached down to pet him. The woman, who is the girlfriend of a
sheriff's captain, required several stitches. The dog and his handler,
deputy Stuart Robinson, were off duty at the time. Robinson could not
be reached Thursday.

Cauthen said officers immediately called animal control to take Kilo
into custody. Deputies said it's extremely rare for a police dog to
attack an innocent bystander. They said it has never happened before
in their sheriff's office, to their knowledge.

"We're not going to have a dog who exhibits aggressive behavior,"
Cauthen said. "We're not going to have it."

Cauthen said Kilo had never been aggressive before. He said the
Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office gave Kilo to his office after
they had a change in staffing and no longer needed the dog. Officers
in Chesterfield said they never had problems with the dog, Cauthen
said.

Officers with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office couldn't be
reached Thursday.

The Belgian malinois is a breed that looks similar to the German
shepherd, but malinois dogs are lighter in color, smaller and faster
than German shepherds. Although German shepherds do appear on the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention's listing of dogs involved
in fatal bites, Belgian malinois do not.

Ronnie Broome, director of Lancaster County Animal and Litter Control,
said he held Kilo at the county animal shelter for the required 10
days before destroying the dog. By law, the shelter had to observe the
dog for rabies before euthanizing it. Broome said dogs who have bitten
are not suitable for adoption.

Broome said Kilo was unpredictable during his stay. Some days, the dog
would sit quietly in his pen. Other days, he would growl and lunge at
the fence when workers passed by.

"He made it so you wouldn't want to get in there and play with him,"
Broome said.