# Explosive Sniffing Dog Dies Chasing Bird At NBA All-Star Setup



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Story by click2houston.com*

A bomb-sniffing dog working to keep the NBA All-Star Game safe from an attack died Wednesday morning during a safety check at the George R. Brown Convention Center, KPRC Local 2 reported.

An official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said a K-9 unit jumped off a ramp and fell about 50 feet to the ground below at about 1:30 a.m.

Officers were checking the convention center for explosives in preparation for the NBA All Star Game this weekend when Mikey, a 4-year-old black Labrador, ran off a parking ramp as he chased a bird.

Authorities said Mikey was unconscious when police picked him up and loaded him into a patrol car.

Mikey was taken to a Galleria-area animal hospital in southwest Houston, where he died at about 3:40 a.m. A veterinarian said he suffered major spinal cord damage, which caused cardiac arrest.

Dan Warden, a K-9 handler with the Department of Homeland Security in Houston, said Mikey's handler is probably devastated by the loss.

"Most handlers go through a pretty intense training program with their dogs so they develop that bond. They become part of your family," Warden told KPRC Local 2.

Warden said the daily challenges dog officers encounter are the same as their human partners.

"It's not different than any other officer. They are considered officers, whether it is state, local or federal &#8230; they are protected by the same laws. Other than a paycheck, they are treated the same," Warden said.

Police said Mikey was a trained explosives-detecting K-9 unit and that he previously worked the World Series and Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston.

Mikey was one of six bomb-sniffing dogs at the convention center overnight.

Copyright 2006 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

*I suppose some on here would like a Line Of Duty death benefit to go to this dog's many bitches & puppys? Maybe even bump this dog up a rank or two. Put his name on the Police Memorial in DC too?? Sarcasm here people. Deal with it.*

*I feel sorry for the K-9 handlers loss. *


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## Portable81 (Jun 17, 2004)

HousingCop said:


> *I suppose some on here would like a Line Of Duty death benefit to go to this dog's many bitches & puppys? Maybe even bump this dog up a rank or two. Put his name on the Police Memorial in DC too?? Sarcasm here people. Deal with it.*
> 
> *I feel sorry for the K-9 handlers loss. *


GO FUCK YOURSELF!


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## SOT (Jul 30, 2004)

Jeeeeezzzz...good thing I didn't make a joke about that being Dick Cheney's bird dog.

Anyway it's a terrible loss and I'm sure the officer who was responsible for the dog is devastated.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

Portable81 said:


> GO FUCK YOURSELF!


Wow, I guess the MIDOL isn't working eh? Try 2 ALEVE instead and change pads in the morning. Freak.


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