The search for a missing police K-9 dog in Texas has ended with a tragic discovery, authorities said Friday.
WFAA-TV reports Chico, Denton County's only K-9 police dog, who escaped his handler's home Dec. 20, was mistaken for a coyote by a nearby resident and shot to death.
The homeowner buried the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois in a rural area on Mallard Point Drive in Wylie near where his handler lived, after finding out the true identity of the animal.
"He was very remorseful when he shot this dog," Sheriff Will Travis of Denton County said. "He was getting into his livestock. Due to him running wild, he thought he was something other type of animal."
The highly trained drug dog was not wearing its vest and badge, when it escaped.
Chico had been a police dog in Denton County almost his entire life. His remains are currently at a veterinary clinic where they will undergo a necropsy.
But the sheriff said this appears to be a mistake, and the homeowner who shot the dog will not face charges.
Chico's funeral, with full honors and a 21-gun salute, is set for next Thursday at 1 p.m. outside the Denton County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Travis said he plans to take money from multi-million dollar drug seizures that Chico helped find in order to buy the department another K-9 in the coming months.
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