The picture featured above shows an officer from the Houston Police Department consoling and soothing a police horse that got fatally injured by a commercial vehicle. This photo went viral overnight.
The cop who rode the horse was rushed to the hospital because he was hurt in the skirmish. So another officer took his place and stayed with the dying creature till her last minutes before she was euthanized.
The horse got startled somehow, so she threw her rider out in a state of fright. Then she stepped into the oncoming traffic and got run over by a vehicle near downtown Houston.
The Animal Justice League released a statement on social media saying:
“We’ve always said we support ALL animals and know the relationship with those animals & their person is an incredible thing. Yesterday, here in Houston, a police horse backed into the wheel well of a concrete truck and sustained a broken leg. While Officer Herrejon (Charlotte’s partner) was being transported by ambulance to the hospital, another officer, Ronald Curry laid her down and covered her face while she took her last breaths before being euthanized on the scene. We admire the heart & strength of this officer because as you know, when you lose an animal, to be with them during their last breath is a heartbreaking & tough thing to do. Our hearts go out to both officers & the HPD family. RIP Charlotte.”
The Houston Police Department also wrote a memorial statement on their Facebook page saying:
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of Charlotte, an HPD Mounted Patrol horse, who died in the line of duty this morning in a motor vehicle accident. Charlotte came to HPD as an unstarted 2-year old Tennessee Walker from Oklahoma. She thrived in HPD Mounted Patrol’s barefoot and natural horsemanship programs. She passed her evaluation period with flying colors and was working the streets of Downtown Houston within a short time of being started under saddle. She loved her job and was always ready to go to work putting bad guys in jail or giving nuzzles to children. She served the citizens of Houston for 4 years. She will be missed.”
Check out the clip below:
