A German Shepherd serving as part of a Michigan State Police K-9 unit perished early Sunday morning in a Detroit freeway traffic crash, said police.
Rex was transported to Blue Pearl animal hospital in Southfield, Mich. for severe spine and leg injuries sustained when a vehicle struck a Michigan State Police Chevy Tahoe at around 1:05 a.m. He later died from the injuries.
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Rex’s handler, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his legs, activated an emergency tone after his vehicle was hit. At the time, he said the suspect vehicle was in flames.
Though the male driver was traveling at freeway speed, police suspect he was under the influence of alcohol.
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The driver of the suspect vehicle and two female passengers – one sitting in the front passenger seat and another in a rear seat – were transported to local hospitals. Both the driver and the rear seat passenger had serious injuries. The woman in the passenger seat was in critical condition after the crash.
“Troopers and the MSP Crash Reconstruction team investigating the crash and have obtained a blood draw which will be tested for alcohol,” said a Michigan State Police tweet.
According to the department, “Canine Rex was a member of the Metro South Post and was known for his determination in searching for suspects and articles. He was a tremendous partner to his handler and was an asset to the post.”
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Michigan State Police have had a K-9 unit since 1960. Today, the department’s unit is one of the business in the country, with around 40 individual units that handle an average of 7,000 requests annually. Most canine officers are German Shepherds and all dogs in the Michigan State Police program retire by the time they are 8 years old.
Troopers and the state police Crash Reconstruction team investigating the crash and have obtained a blood draw which will be tested for alcohol, said authorities.
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