A bloodhound puppy in training to become a Pittsburgh police K-9 died Saturday from aspiration pneumonia, the K-9 unit announced in a release.
The 10-week-old puppy, named Loki, collapsed Saturday while playing with his trainer, Master Patrol Officer Bill Watts, who rushed the dog to an emergency veterinarian.
The veterinarian determined Loki was suffering from aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when the lungs become inflamed due to the inhalation of liquids or solids, like food, vomit or water, K-9 unit leader Sgt. Sean Duffy said.
Loki was sedated and put on antibiotics, but died not long after arriving at the veterinarian, around 2 p.m. Saturday, Sgt. Duffy said.
The puppy was in training to become a human locator, able to track and find missing people.
“He would have been the best human locator we have,” Sgt. Duffy said.
Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV did a segment on Loki when the K-9 unit introduced him to the public last week:
First Published: July 9, 2018, 12:24 p.m.