Texas police dog loses badge after attacking two innocent people





Keep clicking to see a gallery of police dogs through the years:

less Rico, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been removed from service after biting two innocent people in his first two weeks on the job at the Bay City Police Department, March 2017.



Keep clicking to see a gallery ... more Rico, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been removed from service after biting two innocent people in his first two weeks on the job at the Bay City Police Department, March 2017. Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Texas police dog loses badge after attacking two innocent people 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

After years of having a K-9 unit, the Bay City Police Department is in no hurry to replace its latest dog, which bit two innocent bystanders in its first two weeks.

One bite victim, a woman who was buying coffee at a convenience store on her way to work, remained Thursday at Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital, three days after the incident Monday in Bay City, about 70 miles southwest of Houston.

The 3-year-old Belgian Malinois named Rico started working for the department on March 1 and bit a city employee that day, said Lt. Irene Kjergaard, Bay City Police Department spokesperson.

Bay City purchased Rico from US K9 Unlimited in Kaplan, La., which has trained more than 5,000 teams of police dogs and handlers in 28 years of business, owner Roger Abshire said Thursday.

THE NOSE KNOWS: Fort Bend k-9 sniffs out car burglary suspect hiding in pool house

Abshire said he couldn't speculate on what happened in the two bite incidents, but could vouch for the dog.

"All I can tell you is Rico is a great dog," Abshire said. "He was trained properly and is a very social dog. We don't put out unsocial dogs."

US K9 Unlimited prides itself on hand-picking superior dogs and providing excellent training, he said.

Bay City's first bite incident with Rico happened at the city warehouse, where a worker who is afraid of dogs ran when she saw him, Kjergaard said.

RODEO SHOW: Police dogs display power, training in Houston Rodeo competition

"He took off after her," Kjergaard said. The employee received treatment for the bite wound and was released, she said.

At that point, Rico got a week of remedial training with a local trainer who is certified in working with police dogs and did very well, responding appropriately to all commands, Kjergaard said.

On Monday, Rico and his handler were setting out for a trip to Louisiana for a previously scheduled training when they stopped at a gas station.

"The handler opened the door to make sure the dog had enough water for the trip," Kjergaard said. "He reached in to adjust something and the dog got out."

CARJACKING CHAOS: Police dog shot after attacking officer during pursuit of suspects

That's when Rico attacked and seriously injured Jocelyn Amtower, who was getting her morning coffee.

"We were just shocked," Kjergaard said of Rico's inappropriate aggression, which his predecessors never exhibited.

The dog he replaced, Kim, also came from US K9 Unlimited and served the department well for six years, Kjergaard said.

Rico has gone back to US K9 Unlimited and has not returned to service.

"As for our department, we've postponed getting a new dog for now," Kjergaad said.