Abington Loses its Bandit

Abington Police Deputy Chief John Livingood said yesterday that one of the police department’s K-9s was euthanized Monday.

The dog, Bandit, was about nine or 10 years old; its handler was Officer Scott Dinsmore. Dinsmore also cared for the dog at his home.

“The dog became ill [Monday], was taken to the vet and it had some serious internal problems,” Livingood said Tuesday. “The only way to tell exactly what was wrong with the dog would have been an autopsy, and an autopsy wasn’t done due to the wishes of the dog’s handler.”

According to Livingood, Bandit was involved in a vehicle crash in Philadelphia following a recent bank robbery in Abington. However, following the incident, Abington Police said the dog was not injured.

“The dog was getting older, but it was still in service,” Livingood said. “It took ill, we took it to the vet and [the veterinarian] said there were serious problems that would have required a ton of major surgery, and we don’t know what outcome would have been.”

Livingood said there was “no conclusive link” between the vehicle crash and the dog’s death.

The department was already looking to replace Bandit within the next year or two, but now the process will have to be expedited. Livingood called the process “very expensive and tedious,” but did not have an exact cost.

Most of the money goes toward manpower, as the dog is trained with its handler. Livingood said police dogs are sent to the New Jersey State Police to be trained.

“There are going to be some budget considerations,” Livingood said. “It’s a labor intensive process, and it’s an emotional process for the handler as well.”