Defiance police dog victim of hit-skip

2/2/2007

DEFIANCE A Defiance County Sheriff s dog, which was trained in drug detection, search and recovery, and aggression, was struck by a car and killed instantly in a hit-and-run incident in southeastern Defiance County yesterday afternoon.

Rowdy, a German shepherd, was about 6 1/2 years old and was part of the sheriff s crew for about five years.

He was hit shortly after 4 p.m. on Harris Road just south of Hoffman Road in Highland Township in the far southeast corner of Defiance County, where he lived with his handler, Deputy Aaron Giesige.

Rowdy had run onto the road into the path of a light blue car that was northbound on Harris Road. The driver did not stop, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol s Defiance post, which is investigating.

A spokesman for the sheriff s department said today that Rowdy was outside Deputy Giesige s home being attended to by a family member when he chased an animal onto the road and was killed.

Rowdy s death leaves Sheriff David Westrick with one German Shepherd, a dog named Malek, who is about 2 years old and has been with the office less than a year.

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