{
  "id": 19109895,
  "title": "K9 hero 'Lexi' dies day after completing final SAR mission on Kinabalu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/k9-hero-lexi-dies-day-after-completing-final-sar-mission-on-kinabalu",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T06:18:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/11/1573914/k9-hero-lexi-dies-day-after-completing-final-sar-mission-kinabalu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kota Kinabalu - After a decade of service, K9 sniffer dog Lexi passed away on Friday morning, just 24 hours after completing her final Search and Rescue (SAR) mission. The brave Labrador Retriever, brought from the United Kingdom in 2017, was found lifeless in her kennel at 6:10 am. On the day of her last mission, Lexi assisted in the search for a missing person in Kampung Pulutan Membawang, Menggatal, on Nov 5. She worked alongside her handler, Athur Anderson Walter, as part of the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department's K9 unit. Following the mission, Lexi was given a routine care routine, including being bathed and fed. She consumed her food but showed no change in behavior afterwards. However, the next morning, when called, Lexi did not respond, leading to her discovery deceased. Although she had a history of stage two heart disease and a gum growth, all treatments were received and were under veterinary supervision. The Sabah Veterinary Services Department will conduct a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of her death.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU: After nearly a decade of dedicated service in search and rescue operations, ‘Lexi’, a Fire and Rescue Department K9 unit sniffer dog, has died.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "Dedicated till the end, Lexi dies a day after its final SAR mission",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/dedicated-till-the-end-lexi-dies-a-day-after-its-final-sar-mission",
        "published": "2026-11-09T06:36:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}