A Miami Gardens Police K-9 named Gael remains missing after bolting from a patrol vehicle overnight and getting struck by a car while fleeing across a busy street. Surveillance footage later obtained by investigators showed the dog get hit by the vehicle near NW 195th Street and NW 2nd Avenue before continuing to run, injured, into the surrounding neighborhood.
According to WSVN 7News, the incident began around 9:35 p.m. last Monday when a K-9 officer responded to a business alarm and opened the rear door of her patrol vehicle. Gael did not respond to the officer's commands and instead ran eastbound across NW 2nd Avenue, according to the outlet's reporting. Investigators later obtained surveillance video showing Gael being struck by a vehicle at that crossing, but the dog kept moving eastbound after impact rather than stopping.
Officers canvassed the 200 block of NW 195th Street in the hours that followed, but as of the most recent search efforts, Gael has not been located, Local 10 News reported. The search continued in that area.
Air and Ground Units Join the Hunt
Miami Gardens Police units conducted an extensive ground search for Gael, and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Aviation unit assisted from the air, per the same reporting. Despite the coordinated effort, the search has so far turned up no sign of the missing dog. It remains unclear whether Gael was equipped with GPS tracking collar technology that could help pinpoint his location, and whether the patrol vehicle's door released automatically or was triggered manually has not been addressed in available reporting.
The Miami Gardens Police Department's Canine Unit operates within its Operations Division, providing round-the-clock coverage across three patrol zones that include high-traffic venues like Hard Rock Stadium and Calder Casino, according to the City of Miami Gardens. That division alone responds to more than 75,000 calls for service each year. The city covers more than 20 square miles, and the department has more than 200 sworn officers under Chief Delma K. Noel-Pratt.
Rigorous Training Standards Behind Every K-9 Team
Florida law enforcement canine teams are held to strict standards before they ever hit the street. Under Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-27.013 and Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission regulations updated in 2025, teams must complete a mandatory 480-hour Canine Team Training Course and pass proficiency evaluations covering obedience, criminal apprehension, building searches, and area tracking, per the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Teams must also undergo annual canine recertification. Regionally, five new Miami K-9 teams were announced in June.
This is not the first time Miami Gardens Police have lost a K-9 to a duty-related injury. In September 2013, K9 Max, a 5-year-old police dog, died from surgical complications following an injury sustained during a night call, and he was later honored on the Florida police K-9 memorial roster maintained by Florida Tour De Force.
What Florida Law Says About Harming a Police Dog
Florida law treats harm to a working police canine as a serious criminal matter. Under Florida Statute Section 843.19, maliciously striking or causing bodily harm to a police dog is a third-degree felony, while intentionally inflicting great bodily harm, permanent disability, or death carries a second-degree felony charge. Those penalties were strengthened after state lawmakers passed HB 1047 in May 2023, which upgraded malicious physical contact with police dogs, search-and-rescue canines, and fire dogs from a misdemeanor to a felony offense.
Those statutes generally target malicious or intentional acts, and it remains unclear whether any criminal review applies to Gael's case, since the dossier does not indicate the vehicle strike was intentional. Separately, under Florida civil law animals are classified as personal property, though Florida Supreme Court precedent in LaPorte v. Associated Independents, Inc. allows owners to seek emotional distress damages if a pet or working animal is harmed intentionally or recklessly, according to the Shiner Law Group.
The area around NW 195th Street has seen traffic safety concerns before. In June, Miami Gardens Police investigated a hit-and-run near Northwest 191st Street and Fifth involving an injured pedestrian, as Hoodline previously reported. Miami Gardens Police have not announced whether Gael has been found, and the search continues.
