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K-9 Escapes, Killed By Car

News Channel 8 photo by Indira Levine

Lobo was staying at the Boyette Animal Hospital at 10931 Boyette Road while his handler, Deputy Jason Allen, above, was out of town.

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By NEIL JOHNSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 25, 2008

Updated: 02/24/2008 11:12 pm

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office dog opened a door and climbed fences to escape a private boarding kennel before being hit by a car and killed Sunday morning.

Lobo, a K-9 German shepherd, was struck by a driver heading north on Interstate 75, just north of the Gibsonton Drive exit, about 9:30 a.m.

The dog was staying at the Boyette Animal Hospital at 10931 Boyette Road while his handler, Deputy Jason Allen, was out of town. The dog traveled about 2 miles before being hit.

Lobo "outsmarted" barriers designed to keep him in the kennel, said Sheriff's Lt. Kyle Cockream. The dog managed to open a door and scale several fences, including one that is 6 feet tall.

News of how Lobo escaped took people by surprise.

"Most people would probably tell you that can't be done by a dog," Cockream said.

A driver hit Lobo when the dog darted into the highway, Cockream said.

The driver was highly upset by the accident. He and other motorists stopped to help, but Lobo died on the scene.

The investigation is being handled by the sheriff's office's traffic homicide unit. By law, Lobo was considered a law enforcement officer.

Investigators also will return to question kennel workers who worked Saturday night to ensure proper procedures were followed.

The 3-year-old dog was last seen about 5 a.m. near a CVS store at U.S. 301 and Boyette Road, with a sheriff's office star hanging from his collar.

Members of the canine unit went to the kennel to verify the escaped dog belonged to the sheriff's office, which then started a large search for the missing dog.

Lobo had been part of the sheriff's canine section for nearly two years and specialized in drug detection.

The dog helped the sheriff's office bust what investigators said was a marijuana smuggling operation bringing pot to Florida from Arizona in a horse trailer. Lobo alerted deputies to the presence of marijuana in a U-haul truck where the marijuana had been moved.

The sheriff's office recovered 900 pounds of marijuana at house north of Plant City Feb. 17 and arrested three men on drug trafficking and related charges. According to authorities, the smugglers were using a 4-year-old brown mare for cover and had stashed the marijuana, with a value of nearly $1 million, in the trailer with the horse.

Lobo's handler will have the dog cremated today.

"That's the worst kind of call you can get as a canine handler," Cockream said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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