Police find replacement for dog that died in car

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A handler whose police dog died of heat exposure after the air conditioning in his patrol car failed has started bonding with a new dog, a German shepherd from the Czech Republic.

The handler, Independence police Sgt. John Bullard, left his previous dog, Hondo, in an air-conditioned police car last week for about an hour. The car's air conditioning and backup "hot dog" system malfunctioned. The system is designed to roll down windows, turn on a fan and blare a siren to alert the dog handler when temperatures in the vehicle approach an unsafe level.

After Bullard found Hondo unconscious, he attempted to rush the dog to an animal hospital, but his patrol car collided with another vehicle. Another officer took Bullard and Hondo to an animal hospital, where the dog was pronounced dead on arrival. Hondo was a 2-year-old German shepherd.

Police introduced the new dog, Daro Zo Ziaru, on Wednesday.

Bullard said there have been some initial communication problems because he doesn't speak Czech. He said he would change the commands to German.

"We're starting to bond a little bit," Bullard said. "I'm taking him out for walks, and no one feeds him but me."