Bomb-sniffing dog dies in US sports arena fall

An explosives-sniffing dog died after he fell more than 50 feet during a security sweep to prepare for a US professional basketball game.

Mikey, a four-year-old black Labrador serving with the Lufkin Police Department, jumped from a ramp to chase a bird and fell, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.

Mikey broke away from the grasp of his handler, Lufkin police Officer Paul Jackson, when Jackson was trying to put the dog into a kennel during a water break. It happened during a security check before the NBA All-Star Game.

“This is a tragic accident that has saddened all of us,” said Donnie Carter, the ATF’s special agent in charge for Houston.

An ATF medic treated Mikey at the scene until he was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic, where he was pronounced dead.

Mikey graduated in July 2004 from the ATF Canine Training Centre in Virginia.