A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 bit a child and the child’s father after escaping from his handler’s backyard in Castle Rock on Sunday.

Around 4 p.m. Sunday, K-9 Ragnar escaped its outdoor enclosure at Deputy Zachery Oliver’s home in Castle Rock and jumped over a 5-foot fence separating the backyard from a neighboring yard.

The dog bit a child and the child’s father who tried to intervene, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday. Oliver “gained control” of Ragnar after realizing he had escaped.

Both the child and his father were treated at a hospital and are recovering at home, according to the sheriff’s office.

The agency is cooperating with an investigation by the Castle Rock Police Department as well as conducting an internal investigation.

Oliver is on paid administrative leave and Ragnar is in a 10-day quarantine and barred from contact with humans other than the handler and all animals.

Sheriff’s officials are reviewing the dog’s future as a member of the K-9 unit, agency officials said Wednesday.

“We are devastated by this incident and are fully committed to supporting the family during their recovery,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

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Originally Published: August 14, 2024 at 6:04 p.m.