A Monterey County Sheriff's dog was euthanized Wednesday after it escaped and mauled a family dog to death and attacked another dog.
The canine's handler, deputy Justin Patterson, let him out of the house for a break in the Aromas area around 3 a.m. but the dog took off running and did not return when he was called, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff's deputies and a helicopter helped search for the dog, a Belgian Malinois named Bosco, but were not able to find him. Residents in the Aromas area were notified to look out for Bosco via a telephonic emergency notification system.
At 9 a.m., a resident called 911 to report that a dog had killed their family dog and had attacked another dog, according to the sheriff's office.
"Police canines are very disciplined dogs." Sheriff's spokesman Cmdr. Mike Richards told the Monterey Herald, "This is way out of character for a canine."
Deputies responded to the home and found Bosco in a kennel placed in the home's yard. Bosco was taken to the Monterey County Animal Control shelter where he was euthanized.
The sheriff's office issued a statement saying that the decision to put the dog down was "a difficult one, but in light of a prior incident, a decision that had to be made." Richards said he could not discuss the prior incident because of legal reasons.
Bay City News contributed to this article.
