STEPHENS COUNTY, OK (WCMH) — Bak, a K9 Deputy with the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, was just two years old.

“The handler has the utmost responsibility to make sure that that dog is well taken care of,” Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney told KFOR.

In this case though, an investigation has been opened after Bak’s handler, Matthew Peck left the K9 inside his deputy cruiser for days when he was off work.

Peck allegedly did not discover the dog until he was back on duty 36 hours later, and smelled the dead animal on his way to court one morning.

“We were shocked, and we’re saddened,” McKinney told KFOR. “This is a loss of one of our deputies or K9 deputies.”

The investigation has now been turned over to the district attorney’s office to decide if animal cruelty charges will be filed.