A Dade County, Georgia, Sheriff’s K-9 died Sunday July 13, 2025, after overheating in a patrol vehicle. The dog’s handler has been terminated.

The sheriff’s office said on Facebook that K-9 Georgia (a bloodhound) was inside the vehicle while the heat index rose to more than 100 degrees.

Georgia’s handler was reportedly in the Trenton headquarters of the sheriff’s office when the K-9 died. The vehicle’s air conditioning failed because of a malfunctioning compressor and its heat alarm did not function, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said the mechanical issues with the vehicle’s air conditioning and heat alarm combined with “K-9 Georgia being left unattended for what we considered to be an unacceptable amount of time, contributed to her passing.”

In the statement, the sheriff’s officed added: “Going forward, any K-9 vehicle we have will be taken out of service if ANY of the essential K-9 equipment isn’t in 100% working order. We are also going to overhaul our K-9 handler policy, and K-9’s WILL NOT be left in vehicles for extended periods of time during summer. At the direction of Sheriff (Ray) Cross, K-9 Georgia’s handler (who was not identified) is no longer an employee of Dade County Sheriff’s Office, and this entire incident will be turned over to the Dade County District Attorney’s Office to determine if prosecution is warranted in this particular case.”

K-9 Georgia was donated by a local family, at no cost to the sheriff’s office, the statement said. “She was an amazing bloodhound who was sweet, goofy, and had all the potential to be the best of the best. She will be deeply missed by everyone at our office, and by anyone who had the pleasure to meet her,” the sheriff’s office said.