Skinny police dog taken to vet after distraught public complains about photo
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This poor skin-and-bones creature may look in need of rescuing by animal welfare team but don't call the police.
Because they are the embarrassed owners of Gino the K-9, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois.
And officers have been forced to take a dog to the vet after a picture showing its ribs clearly visible below a appeared in a local newspaper.
The photograph, taken by North Texas Daily reporter Sara Jones as he performed a range of criminal-catching skills and daredevil manoeuvres, appeared to show the mutt unhealthily rake-thin, sparking public concern.
No meat on his bones: This picture of Gino the police dog sparked uproar
However, police insist Gino is within his normal weight range after taking him to see a veterinary surgeon.
Handler, officer Russ Weier, said the dog got a clean bill of health.
'That's something that we're going to have to look into - why it took a photograph to notice his condition,' Capt. Lenn Carter said. 'It was alarming to us also to see the photograph.'
Gino had not been to a vet since he overcame a tapeworm infection in August.
Weier, who takes the dog in for regular check-ups, said the vet told him Gino is a high-energy dog that burns calories fast.
He has been feeding the police dog a diet recommended for his breed but is switching to a higher-calorie diet to get Gino back into shape.
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