An unnamed Columbus, Georgia, police officer was attacked by a K9 while off duty Wednesday morning, and the dog died during the incident.
An off-duty Columbus, Georgia, officer was attacked by a K9 Wednesday morning; the dog died during the incident. WRBL reported that the K9 had recently joined the department and was still training with its handler.
Details of the 2018 Columbus, Ohio, Attack
In the separate 2018 Columbus, Ohio, attack, Sergeant Mark Cartwright, who took Benzi to MedVet, said the dog was euthanized there to relieve his suffering, according to NBC4. Cartwright characterized the attack as a mauling rather than a bite and said Benzi could not be used or trusted again afterward.
In the 2018 incident, Cartwright told the outlet that Carter tried to reach for his Taser during the struggle but could not because of Benzi’s position, and that deadly force was the last available option. He said Benzi had not previously shown this kind of aggression and that he knew of no similar incident in the division’s K9 unit. As of the September 2018 report, Carter remained hospitalized and was recovering.
Regarding the 2026 Columbus, Georgia, incident, the Columbus Division of Police said its immediate concern was the officer’s recovery and ensuring he received support, while the circumstances of the incident remained under investigation. The department had not released additional details at the time, according to CNAW 2 News.
Ohio’s K9 Certification Standards
Ohio Administrative Code requires patrol-related canine units to complete an approved training program to be eligible for certification. The certification examination tests obedience, building searches, area searches and criminal apprehension, according to the Ohio Administrative Code.
An Eerily Similar Columbus Case Years Earlier
A separate 2018 Columbus, Ohio, case involving officer Brian Carter and K9 Benzi was reported by The Sacramento Bee. The report said Carter, then a member of the division’s K9 unit since 2008, was seriously bitten on his forearms by his 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, Benzi, during training. Carter needed a tourniquet and surgery, and that dog was later euthanized at a veterinary hospital. The report described Benzi as Carter’s second K9 partner.
Not every K9 training injury ends in euthanasia. In Hayward, California, a police K9 named Arwin was seriously injured during a routine training session and faced euthanasia when the department declined to cover the cost of multiple surgeries, KRON4 reported. Arwin suffered extensive ligament and tendon damage requiring multiple procedures, but an officer named Higgins agreed to assume ownership of the dog and personally cover his medical expenses rather than see him put down. Arwin, who had more than six years of service and had recently been honored as Top Dog by the Western States Police Canine Association, had been scheduled to retire in January 2026 anyway; the injury simply forced that retirement to happen immediately.
