CAMBRIDGE, Md. - The death of a Dorchester County Sheriff's Office K9 has the group that donated the working dog demanding answers and transparency.
On June 26, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office announced K9 Ender’s death but did not specify the cause. Ender was a 5-year-old German Shepherd, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and was assigned to the Patrol Division.
Police said the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office was conducting a full and independent investigation into the K9’s death.
Nearly two months later, Throw Away Dogs Project, the organization that donated Ender to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, said in a press release Ender had died in a hot patrol vehicle due to a reported mechanical issue while off duty.
“This devastating incident is a heartbreaking reminder of the risks faced by working dogs, even outside of active duty,” the Aug. 18 press release reads.
WBOC spoke with Carol Skaziak, founder of Throw Away Dogs Project, on Wednesday.
Skaziak says Ender entered the Throw Away Dogs Project program in 2022. A nonprofit, the Throw Away Dogs Project specializes in taking in misunderstood dogs and training them as law enforcement before donating the dogs to law enforcement agencies. Ender was donated to Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office in May of 2022.
Skaziak voiced her frustration with how she says Ender’s death was handled and what she says was a lack of communication. When a dog is donated to an agency, Skaziak says Throw Away Dogs Project has certain stipulations the agency is expected to follow, including sending a K9 that passes in for an autopsy.
“We’ve asked every department, you know what? The dog needs to go to the veterinarian whether it is dead or alive and we will also help with an autopsy if the dog is deceased,” Skaziak said.
Skaziak says an autopsy was never performed, and Ender was instead taken directly to a crematory, in violation of the contract between her organization and the Sheriff’s Office. She also says she was not informed of Ender’s death until days later.
“So you’re telling me that the same day the dog died, you had him cremated?” Skaziak says asked a Sheriff’s Deputy upon learning of the news. The answer was reportedly yes.
“Unacceptable,” Skaziak said.
Despite her frustrations, Skaziak tells WBOC the investigation into Ender’s death is being handled differently than other K9 deaths she’s looked into, one of which she described as “a disaster.”
“This is different,” Skaziak said. “I certainly have to say I’ve been treated with respect from the Dorchester Sheriff’s Office. It is definitely being handled professionally.”
WBOC reached out to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. Sheriff Phillips said he can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, but confirmed that the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office had completed an investigation and submitted the findings to the Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office for review on August 11. The State’s Attorney will now weigh if criminal charges are warranted.
Sheriff Phillips referred to the incident as “a tragedy.”
Dorchester County State’s Attorney Amanda Leonard tells WBOC the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office just recently submitted their report to her and she has begun her investigation. While that investigation is active, Leonard says she cannot publicly comment on the case yet.
As for Skaziak, she says she will continue to demand transparency and get the answers to unresolved questions. One place to start, according to Skaziak, is the data stored in the police cruiser in which Ender allegedly died.
“There are records of the last transactions of that car. Door opens, door closes, it’s timestamped. I would love to know - when was he checked on? When was he put in? Then the door closes so when was he checked on again?”
Skaziak says she is also demanding accountability from the county, saying Dorchester County elected officials owe it to their community.
“Nobody protected Ender,” she said Wednesday. “He protected all of them. Who protected him? No one.”
Skaziak says she is working on new Maryland legislation and hopes to introduce the “K9 Ender” bill, mandating working heat alarms in all K9 vehicles.