A police dog most likely died from ‘heat stroke’ after being locked in his kennel without water on a summer day during which temperatures reached 104 degrees, a court heard Tuesday.
The details of the dog’s death, at the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service compound in George Town, came to light during the trial of police constable Timothy Munroe.
Dr. Olivia Benjamin testified that Baron, an otherwise healthy 6-year-old Belgian Malinois shepherd mix, had died after suffering prolonged exposure to the sun.
Munroe has denied one count of cruelty to an animal.
The charge against the officer does not allege that his actions led to the animal’s death; instead, he is accused of causing unnecessary suffering to Baron by failing to provide the animal with proper shelter, food and water.
Testifying on day one of the trial in Summary Court, Benjamin, a senior veterinarian at Veterinary Clinic and Specialty Pet Boarding, said, “I knew Baron personally. I was his vet ever since he arrived on the island in 2017 to serve the police.”
According to Benjamin, Baron last came to her clinic in February 2022 for an annual health checkup, during which no medical anomalies were discovered.
“During that visit, we did his blood work and de-wormer, and overall physical examination, and there was no cause for concern. He was a happy and healthy dog,” said Benjamin.
However, on Saturday, 9 July last year, Benjamin said she got a call informing her that Baron was lying motionless with no signs of life.
“When I began examining him it was clear that rigour mortis had already begun to set in, which means he would have died between five and 12 hours prior,” explained Benjamin.
“Further exams revealed that there was also the decomposition of the soft tissue, which is consistent with a body left in the hot sun.”
Benjamin told Summary Court Magistrate Vanessa Allard that preliminary examinations revealed no injuries, broken bones, blunt force trauma or any other cuts or bruises.
“The most likely cause of death was hyperthermia, caused by a heat stroke,” she said.
“We looked at the heat index on the day Baron died and, according to the National Weather Service, the heat index was between 95 degrees and 104 degrees.”
Benjamin added that Baron’s playful nature meant he would have likely been very active while in his enclosure on the day of his death.
When summarising what could have caused the heat stroke, the vet cited the combination of the outside temperature, prolonged exposure to the sun and the fact that the concrete surface that formed the base of the kennel radiated heat.
“There were also other factors such as Baron’s colour. He was a black dog, and his coat was very thick which made it difficult to dissipate heat,” said Benjamin.
During cross-examination, she accepted that it was possible that Baron could have contracted or developed an illness between his check-up in February and his death in July. However, she added, there was no proof that this happened.
“Were the defendant’s actions the cause of Baron’s death?” asked Dennis Brady, Munroe’s lawyer.
Benjamin responded, “I cannot say that his actions caused the death of Baron as the official cause was a heat stroke.”
She also ruled out that Baron could have died as a result of something he ate.
“His [stomach] was empty, no harmful chemicals were observed or found during the tests,” she said.
She added, “Although he had not eaten that day, that was not the cause of his death; given the size of Baron he could have survived without food for that time.”
Munroe, who graduated at the top of his recruitment class, has been an officer with the RCIPS since March 2021.
He denies the allegations and the trial is expected to resume on Friday, 7 July. His bail has been continued.
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