SOUTH PORTLAND — A city police dog died unexpectedly during a training session Thursday.
K-9 Baron died from unspecified natural causes during a regional police training session at the South Portland police station.
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Baron, a 9-year-old German shepherd, joined the force in March 2004. He was trained in both patrol functions and drug detection.
On Thursday, Baron was between training activities when he made a yelping sound. Baron seemed fine when his handler, Officer Kevin Webster, checked him but a minute or two later, the dog lay down and was clearly in distress, according to Lt. Frank Clark.
Baron died as Webster was rushing Baron to a veterinarian’s office, Clark said.
There will be no necropsy so the cause of death will not be known. Baron has already been buried.
Webster said Baron averaged about 100 calls annually, including community demonstrations, drug searches, and tracking missing and wanted persons.
Webster described his canine partner as a “loyal, best friend.”
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