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Minn. Police Dog Shot, Killed, Left On Roadside

BAGLEY, Minn. (AP) -- A police officer in northwestern Minnesota is distraught after the slain body of his police dog was found along a country road.

The dog was one of two that had been shot and killed with a small-caliber gun. Both appeared to have been killed elsewhere and dumped on the road.

The dogs belonged to Bagley police Sgt. Larry Peterson. He says both were very gentle and would have been easy targets for whoever shot them. He says they weren't known for chasing livestock or deer, which are legal justifications for shooting stray dogs.

The Grand Forks Herald report says the police dog was Copper, a hound-Labrador cross. The department has only three full-time officers and two part-timers, so the loss of a police dog is especially difficult.

There are no suspects.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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