Florida K-9 that attacked neighbor girl now in Netherlands

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A central Florida police K-9 that attacked a 7-year-old neighbor girl last summer is now working in the Netherlands.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Doki, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, has gone to the Dutch National Police.

Doki was retired from the Wildwood Police Department after last July’s attack, where the dog jumped his officer’s backyard fence. He was returned to Southern Coast K9, based in New Smyrna Beach. He was later purchased by the European police agency.

The family of Julianne Goodridge says the girl is still recovering and may need additional surgeries to cover prominent scars on her face. They say she often wakes up screaming and is undergoing therapy. The family has filed an intent to sue the city, police department and Southern Coast K9.

“They (the Goodridge family) were extremely upset hearing the dog is back working. They are worried that what happened to Julianne could happen again,” family lawyer Bill Sublette told the Sentinel. “That dog was never adequately trained. . it never should have been put on a police department.”

Officials say Doki had been with the department for about a year.

Southern Coast K9 trainer Bill Heiser said he had never seen something like this in 29 years in the business.

“Everyone blew it out of proportion. He’s a police dog and that’s going to happen. He’s a tool that law enforcement uses and sometimes you’re in control and sometimes you can’t be,” he said.

Doki’s handler, Officer Roger Pelton, was found not at fault by his department for the attack. He had let Doki out into his fenced backyard. He told investigators the girl was in the yard of the vacant home next door and was trying to climb the fence and reached over. Pelton said that’s when Doki tried to bite her. As she abruptly backed away, Doki jumped the fence and attacked Julianne, biting her throat and clawing her.

Pelton hopped the fence and pulled Doki off.

Sublette denies Julianne was trying to climb the fence. He says she was trying to climb the tree her twin sister was in when Doki attacked.

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