NZ Police Shot and Killed a Service Dog on Auckland Airport's Tarmac After He Delayed 16 Flights

An airport service dog was shot dead on the tarmac at Auckland Airport this morning after he caused 16 flights to be delayed.

According to the SMH, Grizz was running free on the tarmac for around three hours.

Aviation security spokesman Mike Richard said the dog was “spooked” at around 4:30am and got away from his handler, bolting onto the tarmac.

At 7:30am, airport staff reportedly asked police to shoot Grizz, as pilots were unable to take-off with a dog on the loose.

Though the spokespeople are saying the fatal shot was a “last resort” and that there “were no other options”, many are wondering why a tranquilliser wasn’t used to stop the canine in his tracks.

Unfortunately an Aviation Security dog was shot this morn @AKL_Airport staff had tried for 3 hours to catch it our thoughts are with handler

— Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) March 16, 2017

@AKL_Airport Disgusted, in three hours a non lethal option could have been found.

— Simon Whitbread (@simonwhitbread) March 16, 2017

@AKL_Airport was the dog tranquilliser proof?

— Ron Chandra (@ron_chandra) March 16, 2017

Grizz worked as an Explosive Detector Dog (EDD) for the Aviation Security Service (Avsec), assisting human handlers in ensuring no dangerous materials are present in New Zealand’s airports and aircrafts.

They receive ten weeks of training before graduating from the Police Dog Training Centre. It is not known how far away from retirement he was.

Obviously, the story brings to mind the incident of Harambe, the gorilla who died. (Will we soon see a Cheeto shaped like Grizz sell on eBay for $AU130,000?)

Auckland Airport and Avsec must now reckon with the complaints (and inevitable memes) from the internet in response to the tragic shootings.

In the meantime, R.I.P. Grizz. You were probably a very good boy.

Photo: Facebook