A 3-year-old girl in Colorado, the daughter of a local police chief, was killed by a dog her family was caring for, authorities said.
On Monday, Aug. 11, deputies responded to a 911 call in Kit Carson about a child attacked by a dog, according to the Kit Carson County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Travis Belden and Deputy Darrin Newberry arrived a minute later and found the child unresponsive, along with her mother, in the back of their home. By that time, the dog, a German Shepherd, had been secured in a kennel.
The child was taken to a local hospital by EMS but was pronounced dead. The dog was later taken to the Burlington Dog Pound and was euthanized.
Authorities said the dog had previously worked as a narcotics detection dog with the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office. It had recently been retired when the K-9 program ended.
“The dog was not trained for biting, protection, or apprehension,” the sheriff’s office said. Cheyenne County had donated the dog to the Burlington Police Department, but it was not actively working. Burlington Police Chief Nathan Hill was caring for the dog at his home at the time of the attack.
“This is a very tragic situation that affects the whole community,” the department said. Authorities are continuing their investigation.
