Related Articles
Died – 6/18/23
Lucky the 3-year-old arson dog dies unexpectedly
A 3-year-old English Lab arson dog that assisted with many local fire investigations has died unexpectedly. “It is with heavy hearts and lots of tears that I write this post. This weekend we experienced the sudden loss of my accelerant-detection K-9, Lucky,” said Darrick Scott, fire chief for the Sugar Creek Fire department. Lucky, who had been on the job for just over a year, replaced Blaze, who retired and is part of Scott’s family. Lucky was assigned to the Sugar Creek Fire Department, Terre Haute Fire Department, Vigo County Search and Rescue and Vigo County Sheriff’s Office. “Not only was he a canine for the public, but he was a member of my family. Lucky was a dog that never knew a stranger,” Scott wrote on social media. “He worked hard, but he loved harder. He was the most affectionate, energetic, and curious dog I’ve ever met. There was never a dull moment and he always had me laughing and trying to keep up with him. ”Lucky got sick June 12, and a local vet recommended he be taken to Indianapolis. A lot of testing and surgery took place “to figure out what was going on,” Scott said.On Saturday, when they couldn’t keep Lucky stable, he was rushed to Purdue. “On Sunday morning, Father’s Day, I got the call he had died” from cardiac arrest, Scott said. An animal autopsy, called a necropsy, will take place. “Right now I have no cause of death. It was very sudden. There was no warning. No nothing. That’s where we are at,” Scott said. Lucky did get lethargic, which was not normal for the energetic lab. Last week, Lucky got anemic and had to have multiple blood transfusions. “We’re really at a loss,” Scott said.As a fire dog, Lucky was certified by Jordan Detection K-9 and was used by many fire departments throughout the Wabash Valley, Scott said. He thanked the Gibson Family Foundation and Duke Energy for their support of Lucky and Todd Jordan and Nicole Beckwith-Dyer for training Lucky in accelerant detection. Scott said it looks very favorable that he will be able to get another arson dog in the future. “Lucky will be missed and never forgotten, but I think he would want us to move on and look for another dog to fill that role for the Wabash Valley, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Scott said.
