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Police dog that bit two people after escaping yard removed from duty, Oregon cops say

A police dog that broke out of a yard and bit two people has been suspended from duty pending an investigation, authorities in Portland, Oregon, say.
A police dog that broke out of a yard and bit two people has been suspended from duty pending an investigation, authorities in Portland, Oregon, say. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Portland, Oregon, police dog has been put on leave after escaping a yard and biting two people, officers say.

An off-duty handler living in Happy Valley discovered about 5 p.m. Friday that his K-9 partner escaped his backyard through a fence and bit two people walking a dog, police said in a news release.

The other dog was not hurt, but paramedics treated the two people.

The police dog, which officers did not identify, has been kenneled and put in quarantine. The dog has been removed from active duty pending an investigation, police said.

Portland police “regret this unfortunate incident,” Deputy Chief Chris Davis said in the statement. He said K-9s provide a valuable service and have a good safety record.

“Part of the ongoing internal investigation will determine if any additional training or procedural changes need to be made to avoid this type of incident from happening again,” Davis said.

This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Police dog that bit two people after escaping yard removed from duty, Oregon cops say."

DS
Don Sweeney
The Sacramento Bee
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.
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