By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The results of post-mortem tests were inconclusive as to the cause of death for Chehalis’s police dog.
The Chehalis Police Department received the reports yesterday from the Chehalis Centralia Veterinary Hospital and Washington State University’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Reign
Oct. 24, 2011 – June 27, 2017
K-9 Reign died suddenly and unexpectedly during routine training while on duty on June 27. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. He was taken to WSU for a necropsy.
The police department shared excerpts this morning from the reports that indicate causes for acute death in dogs under such circumstances as Reign’s include fatal arrhythmia, metabolic disturbances and certain toxins.
Department spokesperson Linda Bailey said it boiled down to basically, they just don’t know.
Reign and his partner Officer Warren Ayers had been practicing locating articles and persons that night, and it was, to her understanding, not a particularly strenuous or taxing activity, Bailey said.
While toxins was included as a potential issue, the report stated the length of time between the reported potential inhalation event was too prolonged to be considered a likely cause of the death.
The 5-year-old dog worked at both tracking and finding people, things and drugs. He had been on a call with the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team earlier in the evening on the date of his death, according to Bailey.
Bailey said she didn’t know anything further except that he had been doing a “sniff”.
Reign was 19-months-old when he was put into active duty in May 2013. Ayers introduced him to the city council as a German Shepherd and Malinois mix from the Czech Republic.
A public memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. on July 25 at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.
•••
For background, read “News brief: Memorial service announced for Chehalis K-9” from Friday July 14, 2017, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
RIP Reign