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Black River Falls chief says department not told before police dog was euthanized
The Black River Falls Police Department lost one of its own this week when its dog, Kilo, was euthanized, and law enforcement officials say it happened without their knowledge. “One of my officers was euthanized without us knowing,” Chief Scot Eisenhauer said. “Had we known, we would’ve been down there for her. She was one of us.” Kilo was sent last month to Haus Von Stolz Police K-9 Kennel for additional training and certification. After trainers there reported Kilo seemed to be struggling, she was taken to Wildwood Animal Hospital and Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., where she was diagnosed with a heart murmur. The kennel said it informed the department of Kilo’s struggles and visit with the veterinarian, but Eisenhauer said that neither he or Kilo’s handler were notified. “Following a long discussion regarding the heart murmur — including further diagnostics, medications and prognosis — the decision for humane euthanasia was elected,” said Beth Engelbert, DVM, an associate veterinarian with the clinic. “With a heart condition, Kilo would no longer be able to work as a police K-9. Her training in apprehension made her unsuitable to be re-homed as a family pet.” That decision happened, Eisenhauer said, without his or the police department’s knowledge. The Haus Von Stolz kennel still owned Kilo, according to the Marshfield veterinarian, but Eisenhauer was under the assumption that the dog was a donation and belonged to the department. Last week, the Black River Falls Police Department held a fundraiser for its K-9 unit, and the money from the steak dinner will be used to help pay for Kilo’s replacement. Summit Nutritionals, a New Jersey-based company, has already stepped up in partnership with an Iron Ridge company, Jessifanny Canine Services, to donate a new canine officer to the department along with the training and certifications. “It’s tough, it really is, but we have new things on the horizon,” Eisenhauer said. “In the very near future we will have another dog.”
