Secret Service dog protecting Biden falls to its death

GlobalPost

A Secret Service dog sniffing around a New Orleans parking lot fell to its death Saturday evening.

The dog was doing a security sweep of a parking lot near a hotel used by Vice President Joe Biden when it fell six stories to its death.

The parking lot was adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans where Biden was speaking at a fundraiser for US Senator Mary Landrieu, reported the Daily Mail.

The Belgian Malinois fell around 6 pm.

A Secret Service spokesman told CNN the death was a "tragic accident."

Secret Service dogs and handlers are trained for 20 weeks before going into service.

The dog works about 10 years before retiring.

It is unclear how close to retirement the dog was.

The Hill reported that the name of the dog would not be released.

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