Bees attack and kill police dog

Unfortunately, police canines are very scarce, since they can only use specific breeds for training purposes

March 26, 2023

Vryheid Herald 2 minutes read

The Vryheid K9 Unit tragically lost one of their patrol dogs on Tuesday after being attacked by a swarm of bees. The officers could do nothing but watch helplessly as ‘Boris’ was repeatedly stung, even though they tried valiantly to smoke the bees out of the kennel. Sergeant Hlope (who was Boris’s handler) suspects that the bees attacked his dog because the ‘canine officer’ reacted immediately to any kind of movement and would even attack. The dog was rushed to the veterinarian and given medicine, but unfortunately died later that day.
Police dogs are specially bred and undergo extensive training that enables them to expertly assist their human partners with a variety of important tasks. Common K9 Unit duties include suspect tracking and apprehension (patrol), narcotic and explosive detection, and search & rescue.
Hlope and Belgium Shepherd patrol dog Boris were partners since 2018. He says it took them weeks to connect with one another and there were days when he just had to sit while Boris roamed around, sniffed him and even urinated on him! Eye contact was a definite no-go zone, since that would aggravate the situation and Boris would attack. Once the connection between handler and canine is established, they become a formidable team. Hlope sadly refers to Boris as his baby and best friend. On a bad day, Hlope would go to his dog to be consoled. Whenever Hlope had one of those days, Boris would pick up on his emotions and display this knowledge in his behaviour.

The Vryheid K9 Unit has lost one of its best patrol dogs and is now left with only one dog that services seven stations, including Vryheid. The Vryheid Herald reported on Boris’s latest success a few weeks ago when he apprehended an escaped suspect. Hlope says it’s difficult to get new dogs for K9 units, since you need a specific breed of dog for the different disciplines within the unit. Boris was born in 2016 in Belgium and was trained in Roodeplaat before he was relocated to Vryheid.
While Hlope tells Boris’s story, his pain and heartache is clearly visible after losing his partner and friend. Even though he still has his German Shepherds and Jack Russell at home, the loss of Boris came as a shock to him. “I don’t know where I will find another partner like Boris. He was one of a kind. I do hope that once my heart has healed, I will get another dog to work with. I have loved dogs since I was a young boy and I can’t imagine working without them,” he said sadly.

Unfortunately, police canines are very scarce, since they can only use specific breeds for training purposes. Canines are an important section of the police service, as they are able to sniff out and apprehend suspects, as well as illegal substances where an officer is unable to go. The Vryheid K9 Unit is in desperate need of more dogs; the ideal would be four patrol dogs instead of the one that is left now. People can also donate dogs to the unit, where they will be assessed to see if they are suitable for the training programme.