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During my first year of law school, my tort professor drilled into us that “there is no such thing as an accident.” Either someone did something wrong or failed to do something right.
Therefore, I believe the tragic death of the public safety comfort dog Baxter in a hot car was not an accident. The only facts I have are from the BDN article, but it appears Baxter was placed in a car because he defecated on the floor. As a dog owner, I know a well-trained and supervised dog lets the owner know when they need to go outside. That is basic puppy training. If Baxter was a “comfort dog,” he must have been trained and certified. Was Brodie Hinckley properly trained and certified to handle Baxter?
Why was Baxter placed in a car rather than taken for a walk or allowed to provide comfort as was his job? I believe leaving Baxter in a car unattended for four hours shows a complete lack of common sense and is evidence to me that Hinckley was not a qualified handler. Not to mention having a state-owned vehicle running for four hours, which is not good for any vehicle, while using expensive gas and polluting the air. Hickley stated he has done this previously, which is disturbing and certainly does not make it right.
As stated, I do not have all the facts, but my questions show me this was not an accident. It appears to be a poorly trained dog being handled by a poorly trained employee. Hickley said this was the worst day of his life. It was even worse for poor Baxter.
Charles Mitchell
Belfast