Maine’s animal welfare program will be conducting an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a state comfort dog who died in May after being left in a vehicle without air conditioning on an 82-degree day.
The investigation into the death of Baxter, a 3-year-old chocolate labrador retriever, will be conducted by the Animal Welfare Program of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
The DACF’s animal welfare program is responsible for enforcing animal welfare laws and investigating animal deaths with help from veterinarians and some law enforcement agencies.
As of Wednesday, it was still not clear whether there is a criminal investigation into the dog’s death, or if Baxter would have a necropsy, which is an examination to determine the cause of death of an animal.
Few details have emerged about Baxter’s death since he was found in a turned off police vehicle on May 28.
