A chocolate lab who offered emotional support to Maine’s emergency dispatchers died after being left in a state vehicle without air conditioning Wednesday.
The 3-year-old dog, Baxter, was found dead inside a Maine Department of Public Safety vehicle that had been parked at the Bangor Regional Communications Center on Wednesday, according to department spokesperson Shannon Moss. He died around 2 p.m.
The vehicle that the dog was transported in stopped running, causing the air conditioning to shut off, although it is not clear why the vehicle shut off, Moss said.
Temperatures reached 82 degrees Fahrenheit in Bangor on Wednesday.
Baxter started training to join the force in 2022, and worked at the state’s three emergency communication centers to offer support to dispatchers.
The department expressed its “deepest condolences to Baxter’s handler and his family,” as well as to the emergency dispatchers, Moss said.