‘Too bad he got named for a Nazi hero.’ Sheriff’s office quickly renames its K-9 puppy

Pro tip: Before you name your dog, you may want to do a quick Google search.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office found this out the hard way.

Early Friday morning, LCSO proudly posted a picture of its new K-9 — an adorable, 10-week-old bloodhound.

“Meet LCSO’s newest bloodhound,” read the post of the K-9. “Rommel will soon begin his rigorous training to support the community by locating missing persons, fugitives, and evidence. Welcome aboard!”

Eagle-eyed social media users soon were soon commenting that the dog shared the same name as Erwin Rommel, a World War II general known as Desert Fox for his surprise attacks.

“Too bad he got named for a Nazi hero,” wrote one. “I find that offensive to me and the dog. We have plenty of American heroes this fine animal could be named after.”

Hours later, LCSO had a new post, carrying the same picture.

The caption explained that the agency had scrapped the name Rommel, which they said was named after a childhood pet of the handler, Master Deputy Mark Meintzschel.

“Knowing that this four-legged public servant belongs to the taxpayers of Lake County and his sensitivity to our veterans, [Meintzschel] immediately renamed him Scout. Thank you to everyone who brought this to our attention and allowing us to correct it right away.”

While the majority of people seemed pleased about the bloodhound’s moniker do-over, one poster ominously wrote, “I would look into that handler if I was you.”

A call to the sheriff’s office went unanswered Friday afternoon.

This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 2:34 PM.