A police K-9 died on Wednesday in a squad car at the PGA Championship after the air conditioning unit in the car malfunctioned.
The dog, named Wix, was on assignment at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office with his handler, Deputy Austin Lemberger. He was a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois that was trained in tracking and detecting explosives.
“Wix was a valuable member of this agency and community and will be sadly missed by all,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, via the New York Daily News. “Our thoughts are with Deputy Lemberger while he copes with the loss of his K-9 partner.”
The incident and equipment malfunction are under investigation. K-9 squad cars are equipped with heat alarms that are supposed to turn the air conditioner on in the car when it reaches a certain temperature. Lemberger reportedly checked on Wix throughout the day and found him non-responsive at around 12:30 p.m.
We can’t think of a worse way to kick off the fourth and final major of the golf season.
