The sole remaining canine deputy of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department died Sunday after a car alarm failed to notify deputies that the engine had failed with the dog locked inside.

Dog handling protocol calls for leaving the dogs inside the vehicle with the air conditioning on, according to Sheriff Billie Sollie.

“The car is equipped with an alarm system that – if it ever goes off – it alarms anybody and everybody,” Sollie said. “The windows come down and it texts the handler.”

Sollie said the alarm system was designed specifically for the comfort of the dog and didn’t interfere with the car’s other functions.

Temperatures reached 91 degrees in Meridian Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Sollie said the dog died during the middle of the day.

Sollie said Aron, the German Shepard, and other police dogs have been trained to treat the backseat or kennel of a car like an office space – a place where they can relax.

“They see getting out as ‘I’ve been called to duty,'” Sollie said. 

Sollie said the department would revisit protocol – such as implementing manual checks on the animals – after obtaining and training another dog. Sollie said the department hoped to get another dog soon.

“Right now we’re dealing with the emotion of the loss of a partner,” Sollie said. 

Sollie said the department planned to hold a memorial to honor Aron’s service on Friday.