Secret Service dog's death in line of duty

A Belgian Malinois. (Getty Images via CNN)

A Secret Service dog fell to its death in New Orleans over the weekend while performing a sweep of a six-story parking garage. The garage was next to the Ritz Carlton where Vice President Joe Biden was speaking.

The bomb-sniffing dog, a Belgian Malinois, fell from the roof of the parking deck next to the hotel at approximately 6 p.m., New Orleans police told WWL-TV.

Biden was attending a fundraiser for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's re-election campaign.

Federal agents rushed the black and brown shepherd to Metairie Small Animal Hospital via motorcade, but veterinarians were unable to revive the dog, WWL reported.

According to CNN, the agency began using canines to detect explosives in 1975:

It uses Belgian Malinois because they are small and have short hair?making it easy for them to work in the heat. They are also very sociable. Each dog and its handler has to complete 20 weeks of training before beginning work, the agency said. When it's time for a dog to retire?usually after about 10 years?it is retired to its handler.

Secret Service spokesman Max Milien told the network the dog's death was a "tragic accident."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/secret-dog-death-144327207--politics.html

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