PETA urges Park City to retire injured K-9 Bruno

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking Park City police to retire K-9 Bruno and reconsider the department’s use of police dogs after he was seriously injured jumping from a freeway overpass.

The animal rights group sent an Oct. 16 letter to Police Chief Wade Carpenter urging the department to consider alternatives such as tactical robots, drones and portable mass spectrometers.

“Given this incident, would you please retire Bruno and consider this an opportunity to reassess the use of dogs?” PETA’s Allison Fandl wrote.

The request followed the department’s release of video and findings from a review of the Sept. 15 incident, the Park Record reported.

Bruno, a chocolate Labrador retriever trained to detect explosives, was assisting with a suspicious-item investigation on the flyover connecting U.S. 40 and Interstate 80 near Silver Summit. He jumped over a concrete barrier and fell to the roadway below, breaking two legs and fracturing his jaw.

The department requested an independent review by the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training K-9 Program. According to the department, the review found Officer Wayne Henderson “deployed K9 Bruno in accordance with standard POST K-9 tactics.”

Police said explosives-detection dogs can work off leash to maintain distance between their handlers and potential hazards.

The department’s later account identified the suspicious object as a car battery that had broken apart on the roadway. An initial account described it as a possible e-bike battery, according to the Park Record’s September reporting.

After the fall, Henderson reached Bruno and kept him from trying to stand while emergency help arrived. Bruno was flown to MedVet in Salt Lake City for treatment.

Carpenter described the fall as an unfortunate incident during a serious law enforcement response and thanked first responders and the community for supporting Bruno and his handler.

Bruno, the department’s first police dog, is recovering at home. Whether he will return to duty remains unclear, according to KPCW’s reporting.