A police dog with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office died Saturday after jumping off a roof, authorities said.
The dog, Argus, escaped from an enclosed backyard and somehow climbed up onto a nearby structure, Sheriff's Lt. Shannon Barney said.
The dog apparently leaped off the building after its handler, Deputy Craig Walker, called out to him at about 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Barney said.
"It appeared Argus responded immediately to his handler's call and was not aware of the height of the structure he was on," Barney said in a statement.
The dog fell about 30 feet and died on impact, Barney said.
The 2-year-old German shepherd, originally from Slovakia, had worked with Walker, who patrols Anderson Valley, for about six months. Barney said plans are to replace the dog.
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