You would certainly think a dog handler would know better.

So people in the states are charged with animal abuse/cruelty for this...Will the handlers be charged? Are police dogs given the same status as a human officer for something like this?

They're given awards, like human officers, they work in the same arenas along with human officers. They ought to be afforded the same protection as we give to our "less-weighted" human counterparts (children), and not left in a vehicle to die from heat exhaustion.

I know, that's what I was asking. In the US, if someone hurts/kills a police dog they are charged the same as if they went after a human police officer. I was wondering if the same was true in the UK. Human cops make a choice, the dogs don't understand the risk they take, they don't sign up. They deserve it!

Chances are that they will face prosecution.

It's often said of the UK that animal abuse (provided it's the right type of animal) will provoke more outrage than child abuse.

Just as an example to underline this, the RSPCA was founded 60 years before the NSPCC.

What a tragedy...no excuse for stupidity.