Died 11\/8\/20<\/p>\n
A pricey Department of Correction K-9 died after eating chemicals in his kennel \u2013 and jail sources blame budget cutbacks that resulted in the poor pooch suffering overnight. The dog named Bingo chomped a soap container while on a walk Oct. 31, DOC officials confirmed. A careless DOC employee apparently left the container on the ground rather than on a shelf, according to a source. Bingo was left overnight like other K-9s in a kennel near the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island. Staff noticed the dog was unwell the following day. Photos obtained by the Daily News show the pitiful dog foaming at the mouth. A veterinarian performed several unsuccessful procedures on Bingo and put him to sleep on Nov. 8. \u201cOur K-9 unit is nationally recognized for its excellence and plays a key role in keeping our facilities safe. Bingo was a valued member of our team and we are deeply saddened by this loss,\u201d Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Peter Thorne said. Sources said overtime restrictions imposed by DOC brass resulted in no \u201ckennel master\u201d being on duty around the clock. DOC officials pushed back on that claim, insisting that \u201cregular checks\u201d of the kennel have not been disrupted by overtime restrictions. \u201cThe Department is looking to save money, but in the interim they spent more by killing the dog and on the vet bill,\u201d a jails source said. \u201cYou should have had 24-hour surveillance on those kennels.\u201d The recently-purchased dog cost around $7,000, according to sources. The exact circumstances of how Bingo ate the poison were unclear. DOC officials said the soap container was in a corner outside of Bingo\u2019s cage. The incident is still under investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 11\/8\/20 A pricey Department of Correction K-9 died after eating chemicals in his kennel \u2013 and jail sources blame budget cutbacks that resulted in the poor pooch suffering overnight. The dog named Bingo chomped a soap container while on a walk Oct. 31, DOC officials confirmed. A careless DOC employee apparently left the container …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[64],"class_list":["post-9771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ny"],"yoast_head":"\n