Georgia police dog dies after being left in hot patrol car for "unacceptable amount of time," sheriff's office says

A newly-deputized police dog died Sunday in Georgia, after her handler left her alone in a hot car for "an unacceptable amount of time," said the sheriff's office where the K-9 provided her services.

Named K-9 Georgia, the dog died in the kennel inside of her handler's patrol vehicle as the heat index rose to about 100 or 102 degrees in Trenton, a city in the northwestern corner of Georgia, according to the Dade County Sheriff's Office. The handler had gone into the office building when Georgia was left unattended in the patrol car.

The sheriff's office said it fired the dog's handler, who was not identified, and the incident would be turned over to the Dade County District Attorney's Office to determine if charges would be filed.