Holly MatkinBaytown, TX – Baytown Police Department (BPD) K9 Lenin died on March 9 after being bitten by a venomous snake during a training exercise one day earlier.
The two-year-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix was participating in a training exercise in the 5100-block of East Road in Baytown on March 8 when he was struck by the poisonous snake, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
His handler immediately rushed him to the Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, the BPD said in a press release two days later.
“K-9 Lenin fought the effects of the venom and veterinarians did everything possible to save him, unfortunately, it was not enough,” the police department said.
“The Baytown Police Department mourns the loss of one of our very own,” the BPD said. “It is with a heavy heart that we share that on Thursday, March 9, 2023, K9 Lenin was pronounced deceased by Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists (GCVS) after obtaining a bite from a poisonous snake – incident that occurred during an on-duty training exercise on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.”
K9 Lenin was born in Hungary on Aug. 26, 2020 and became the BPD’s first explosive ordinance detection K9.
He and his human partner, BPD Officer Kinzie, completed extensive training at the Houston K9 Academy as well as in-house training before they became a fully-certified team on Aug. 25, 2022.
They hit the ground running, conducting a slew of explosive sweeps and weapons sweeps over the months that followed.
Just last month, the duo competed against 75 other K9 teams in Alabama and took home the TOP Bomb Dog award in addition to earning second place in the bomb scramble competition and third place in the bomb vehicles competition.
“The Baytown Police Department mourns the loss of K9 Lenin,” BPD Chief John Stringer said in the press release. “He was one of our own as surely as any other officer in this agency is one of our own. For us, that means he was family and he will be missed, but never forgotten.”
“Our hearts are heavy for his partner, K9 Officer Kinzie, who lost not only a partner, but a faithful friend,” the chief continued. “K9 Lenin made significant contributions to the safety of Baytown in his short time with our department and he will be missed.”
RIP. Texas K9 Lenin passed away after suffering a bite from a venomous snake during training. #rip #hero #eow #K9Lenin #BaytownPoliceDepartment #lawenforcement #thinblueline #bluelivesmatter #backtheblue #police #k9 #protectingtheblue #becarefuloutthere pic.twitter.com/eCIM5KfWWL
— Protecting the Blue (@protectingblue) March 11, 2023
Our sympathies go out to @BaytownPolice1 and the handler and friends of K-9 Lenin, who succumbed to the effects of a venomous snake bite. K-9 Lenin was a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix and a decorated Explosives Ordinance Detection dog. #LODD #EOW #K9 @ATFHou pic.twitter.com/8Ko3yVKw3R
— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) March 13, 2023
Always remember: K9 Lenin, Baytown Police Department, Texas https://t.co/zdPAFDibQ9 pic.twitter.com/yKWJeHYms1
— National Fallen Officer Foundation (@nationalfof) March 11, 2023
K9 Lenin
EOW: 3-9-2023The Baytown Police Department and the Kinzie family are mourning the loss of one of their own, two year old K9 Lenin. Lenin died in the line of duty on Thursday after being bit by a poisonous snake. pic.twitter.com/fLlfBtXfGE
— ALPHA D/6 🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@DTMsport) March 11, 2023
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Baytown Police Department and Officer Kinzie in the loss of K9 Lenin.
