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Two police dogs tragically died in their handler’s car after a cooling pod failed when the engine was turned off.
On Thursday, 31 October, a New South Wales police officer left two German shepherds, Xtra and Soldier, in his car at 10:30 am while attending a training development day just 300 meters away in southern Sydney. When he returned two hours later, at 12:30 pm, he was met with a tragic discovery – both dogs had died.
Police reported on Friday (1 November) that an engine failure likely caused the air conditioning to shut off in the dog pod, leaving the two German shepherds without ventilation. Although an alarm was triggered, they believe the handler couldn’t hear it in time to prevent the tragedy.
“Unfortunately there was an alarm that goes off, it did go off… but when police went down there it was too late,” the assistant commissioner Stephen Hegarty told the press. “The primary cooling source would be the air conditioner, unfortunately when we returned to the motor vehicle it had ceased [running], which meant the air conditioner ceased as well.”
The “state-of-the-art” cooling pods, introduced in 2023 and designed to regulate temperature, are now under scrutiny. With temperatures reaching 27 degrees Celsius in Lucas Heights on Thursday, concerns are rising over potential flaws in the system. However, there’s currently no protocol on how frequently dogs should be checked inside the pods.
“Those dogs can be in the rear of the car at night-time for long periods of time, so it’s not unusual and [not] against any … processes or training we’ve given the officers,” Hegarty noted.
As the investigation has been underway, changes to protocol have been implemented including frequent inspections of dogs kept in cooling pods.
“They were in specialist-designed pods,” Commissioner Karen Webb told the press, stressing that she believed there was no human error involved in the death of the dogs. “I’m confident there had been no human error and the vehicle has been towed for examination to check for any mechanical, technical and engineering issues.”
She added that the dogs’ handler was devastated by their death.
“He had the very difficult task of going home yesterday afternoon to inform his wife and his two children about the passing of the two dogs because the two dogs … reside with the family,” she noted. “They are part of that family [and] with the officer 24/7.”
In an interview with ABC radio, she said that the two canines were “valuable members” of the police force.
“The thoughts of the whole police family are with them,” she said. “We owe it to PD Xtra and DD Soldier to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Xtra, a dedicated member of the NSW police since 2018, and Soldier, just 15 months old and fresh into training with the force since February 2024, will both be honored with a memorial at a later date. Their names will also join the police wall of remembrance, ensuring their service is remembered.
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