Ga. DNR Game Warden K-9 suffers medical emergency, dies in line of duty, officials say

LAMAR COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia Department of Natural Resources K-9 has died in the line of duty.

Georgia DNR officials said on Thursday that Game Warden K-9 Rio and his partner Corporal Keith Page were assisting in tracking a suspected poacher hunting without permission near the Oconee National Forest in Jasper County.

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After they caught the suspect, Page and K-9 Rio returned to the scene to search for more evidence when K-9 Rio suffered a medical emergency.

Officials did not specify what the medical emergency was.

Page’s efforts to revive K-9 Rio were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 11 a.m.

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Officials said K-9 Rio was escorted back to Barnesville under an American flag in a procession led by the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.

Rio served as a Game Warden K-9 with Page for six years. He joined the service in 2017 when he was 12 months old.

Officials said K-9 Rio was escorted back to Barnesville under an American flag in a procession led by the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.

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