Missoula, MT – A Montana police officer was compelled to fatally shoot a K-9 from another department after the animal attacked a man and could not be restrained using multiple non-lethal methods, authorities reported. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, leaving the victim with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The dog, a Belgian Malinois named Mike, had been with the Montana Highway Patrol for nearly three years. Mike was a trained full-service police dog specializing in narcotics detection, area search, tracking, and apprehension. According to the Highway Patrol, Mike freed himself from his kennel and bit a man working in his yard in Laurel, Montana.
When the Laurel Police Department officer arrived at the scene, he found the dog attacking the man. The officer attempted several non-lethal methods to stop the attack, with the assistance of Laurel Volunteer Fire Department Chief JW Hopper, who had arrived with a catch pole. Despite their efforts, the attack continued for approximately 15 minutes, and authorities feared for the safety of everyone on the scene.
“We were all worried about the dog potentially turning on us,” Chief Hopper recalled. “In my mind, I was thinking, ‘Is he going to switch and come at us?’ I really thought that we were all probably going to end up getting bit at some point.”
After exhausting all other options, the officer made the difficult decision to end the attack. He delivered “two fatal blows” to the dog’s head, which ultimately stopped the assault.
Montana Highway Patrol confirmed that Mike was under the care of a handler who was not his usual partner at the time of the incident. The agency expressed regret over the situation, stating that the dog’s training and experience had not prepared him for the unforeseen escape and attack.
The victim, whose identity has not been released, was transported to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to recover. The tragic event is under investigation, and officials from both the Laurel Police Department and Montana Highway Patrol have expressed condolences over the loss of Mike, a dog who had served faithfully with the Highway Patrol for nearly three years.
