SnapGlow.TV: Modern Gems Galore! Rescued from the streets as a stray, Patton joined the cops, learned to sniff out bombs and fell in love with Officer Kara McIntosh, his handler and partner in the Mount Holly, N.J., Police Department.
"Those two really doted on one another," said Perry Parks, a Burlington County dog-trainer, who had worked with the pair just a few weeks ago.
On Tuesday, the 5-year-old golden retriever, described by Parks as "one of the best bomb dogs" he's ever seen, died inside McIntosh's personal vehicle. And local police and state SPCA officials are trying to figure out why.
"We're investigating every aspect of the case," said Mount Holly Police Chief Steve Martin.
Matt Stanton, a spokesman for the New Jersey SPCA, said his office was conducting interviews yesterday and awaiting results of an autopsy performed at the Columbus Animal Hospital.
It was unclear how long Patton had been left in the vehicle, Stanton said, or whether McIntosh was working at the time of Patton's death. Stanton declined to say whether heat had played a part in the dog's death, but said temperatures inside cars can rise above 100 degrees on warm days.
Martin declined to comment on the circumstances leading to the dog's death.
According to a Web site dedicated to golden retrievers, officers from Mount Holly found Patton on May 8, 2006, at the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue's Golden Gateway, in Lancaster County, while looking for a K-9 dog.
After intensive training with McIntosh, Patton learned to develop more than 20 scents, specialized in rooting out shell casings, and became part of a statewide task force under the U.S Department of Homeland Security, according to the Web site.
Parks said he doesn't believe Patton could have died as a result of neglect on McIntosh's part.
"She had a very maternal relationship with the dog," said the former Medford Township officer. "I can only imagine the condition she's in."
Martin said McIntosh was not working yesterday or Wednesday, but declined to elaborate. He said his entire department was mourning the loss of the dog.
"He was one of the guys," Martin said.
Parks said Patton was purchased with a grant and would have been valued between $10,000 and $15,000.
In a 2006 article in the Burlington County Times, McIntosh said Patton had become a part of her family and lived at her home with two other dogs.
Stanton said it's not uncommon for police dogs to live with their handlers.
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