Handler: Deputy John Trevor-Smith
McKinley County Sheriff's Dept.
K-9 Division
Sgt John Trevor-Smith (K-9 Spike)
Deputy Christopher Escamilla (K-9 Doc)
2105 E Aztec Avenue
Gallup, New Mexico 87301 

It is with a heavy heart that I relay the news that K-9 Apollo has been euphemized in order to eliminate any
further suffering after multiple seizures suddenly came upon him. This comes in the prime of his life at just over 5 years old and on the eve of recognition by the state legislature for community service. We had the privilege of working and training with this K-9 team from the day that Apollo arrived here in New Mexico. He just kept getting better and better, working the streets ever-ready for a criminal apprehension, providing drug interdiction on the interstate or competing in Police Dog trials across the country. Just this past Friday Apollo was used to discover a dope load trying to cross the port of entry at the New Mexico-Arizona border. Photos of just a few finds by this K-9 team may be seen on the website
http://http://www.co.mckinley.nm.us/sheriff/sheriff.htmy.
Apollo and his handler Deputy John Trevor-Smith from the McKinley County Sheriff's Department were the winners of the Top Dog award in our 1st Annual Southwest Regional Police Dog Trials this past December.
Deputy Trevor-Smith must now start the long process of replacing Apollo as his K-9 partner. It is not an easy task to find a dog capable of both patrol and narcotics detection. Once he is found and probably imported from Europe, the task of training will begin. It will be some number of months before a new K-9 is ready to hit the streets. Since Apollo was owned by John personally and not the department, he must purchase his new dog with his own money. Friends of New Mexico K-9 (http://www.FriendsOfK9.com/NM)
has started a fund to help support Deputy Trevor-Smith in his efforts to obtain a new K-9 partner.
We are asking for community support in order to reach our goal of supporting K-9 units across the state and in this case McKinley County.

Procession planned for K-9 - 12/19/07
Officers and about 30 police dogs from all over Greater Cincinnati will gather today in a procession to Pine Pet Cemetery for a final tribute to Monroe Police Department’s last remaining K9 that died unexpectedly after finishing his shift last week. Alec, a 9-year-old black German Shepherd, suffered a seizure and stroke on Dec. 12. His handler, Officer Gregg Myers, decided to have his partner euthanized after tests determined Alec had an aggressive type of cancer. About 50 police cruisers are expected in the procession that starts around 11:30 a.m. from the Warren County Fraternal Order of Police lodge on Ohio 122. A graveside service is scheduled to begin at noon following a viewing.
update: A police dog's stirring goodbye  12/20/07
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Norwood Police Officer Joe Dipietrantonio (right) and his dog line up with other K-9 units from the area during Wednesday's funeral for Alec, a Monroe police dog.  Capt. Lynn Moore of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with her retired dog Burk, cries at the gravesite of her dog Britta. Alec, who died last week, will be buried near Britta. Before the long line of visitors started through the door to the tiny white chapel, Monroe Police Officer Gregg Myers said goodbye to his partner. He lifted the lid to the dark-stained rectangular pine box and petted the 80-pound black German shepherd. He told Alec he would miss him, and slipped the police badge inside. Then he carefully added Alec's favorite things - the piece of yellow plastic pipe that was used as a drug-detection training toy, and a piece of the jute bite sleeve that trainers use to protect themselves from the jaws of police dogs like Alec. "He loved to work," Myers said. "That's all he wanted to do. It was like Disneyland for him." With almost all the pomp and circumstance befitting an officer's funeral, Alec, Monroe's last remaining police dog, was buried Wednesday at the Pines Pet Cemetery on Riley Wills Road. The unusual service drew officers and about 19 police dogs from all over Greater Cincinnati and Dayton. The 9-year-old canine, known not only for his ability to find drugs and nab criminals, but also for his scary dark looks, died a week ago after suffering a seizure Dec. 12. He had just finished his shift with Myers. Coincidentally, City Council had just voted to retire the department's other police dog, Tango, that night. Myers, Alec's handler for more than 7 years, had Alec euthanized the following day after tests determined the dog had an aggressive type of cancer. Until recently, he hadn't shown any clear signs of being sick, and he was supposed to work until late spring, then retire. Myers, who is training another dog for the department, felt he needed to do something special as a final tribute to Alec. "He's no different than any other officer," Myers said. Cemetery managers said they had never seen anything like Wednesday's funeral at the Pines. People often hold services for their pets. But they've never had a stream of more than 20 cruisers, a 21-gun salute and teams of police canines and their handlers, owner Shannon Wood said. "It's the first time we've had one die in service here," Monroe Police Chief Greg Homer said. "It's unusual to have a dog die in service. They usually retire and pass away, so there isn't the hoopla. The fact is that he was in service the day before he died. Police dogs are members of the department." The $200 it cost for the cemetery plot and a one-time $100 cemetery upkeep fee was paid through donations that Monroe receives to support the canine unit, Homer said. After the casket was shut, four police officers carried it out of the chapel. The Mason Police Honor Guard led a procession of officers, police dogs and Myers' family about 150 yards to Alec's gravesite. Poems about the bravery and loyalty of police dogs were read at the graveside.
Alec's casket was draped with the American flag. Another flag flew at half-staff in the cemetery's special section for service dogs, where Alec was buried. Stories were shared about some of Alec's best qualities. Then, an honor guard fired a 21-gun salute. The Rev. Brad Olson, pastor of Monroe United Methodist Church, ended the service with a prayer. He thanked God for creating Alec and prayed that Alec would make it to heaven. "We pray you will welcome him into your eternal kingdom," Olson said. Myers wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. His three children wept. They had known Alec as a family pet. "He was my backup," Myers said. "He was there to give his last breath to get me home at the end of the night." 
 submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

Duluth's K-9 passes away
With a heavy heart, the Duluth Police Department announces the loss of one of its finest on Wednesday, October 31st . Duluth's K-9, "Andy" who retired in June of this year passed away from a brief illness of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). This illness occurs when the dog's stomach fills rapidly with gas, and then twists. Andy, a purebred German Shepherd, died from complications of the surgery he had to correct the GDV about two months ago. The 11 ½ year old dog was purchased in 1998 through donations provided by AGCO, Inc. of Duluth. He was specially trained and received certifications in marijuana and narcotics detection from several state and national agencies. While at the Duluth Police Department, Andy was used for a wide array of tasks including drug detection, locating fleeing suspects, missing persons, and even evidence.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. USPCA

Astor, a 10 1/2 year old bomb-sniffing German shepherd who worked at the DuPage County Courthouse, 
has died. Astor was put to sleep after undergoing emergency surgery Monday night. He wore Badge 480.
"Astor was happiest when he was walking through the courthouse and county complex
sniffing for explosives," Sheriff John E. Zaruba said. "He was tenacious when it came to doing his 
job but was one of the calmest and gentlest dogs in our canine unit; he loved people as much as
he loved his job. We will all miss him." 
Astor and his handler Deputy George Foy was a fixture around the county courthouse for the
last eight years where he spent countless hours protecting the public doing explosives sweeps. 
He was also available to any law enforcement agency in the region to search crime scenes, respond
to bomb threats and often served as security at public events. When the PGA golf
tournament was held at Medina Country Club, Astor was responsible for making sure the site was
secure.  He also did bomb sweeps for law enforcement agencies from the United States Marshals 
to local police departments.  Another bomb sniffing dog, Utah and his handler, Deputy Ken Diebert, 
will take over Astor's duties.    submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

Handler: Robert Hart
Montgomery Township Police 
1001 Stump Road 
Montgomeryville, PA   18936 
215 362 2300 (V) - 215 362 6383 (F) 
Email: police@montgomerytwp.org

K9 Astro passed away suddenly in 2005 after completing a midnight shift. 
Astro was 8yrs and the vet. suspected that he bloated.
(more to come)
New working partner K-9 Jammer

submitted by R. Hart

Handler: Deputy Robert Wann 
Bexar County Sheriff's Office
200 North Comal - San Antonio, TX
 78207-3505 - phone: 210 335.6000

K-9 honored -  - 07/07/07    -     Farewell to a canine officer
Bexar County sheriff's Deputy Robert Wann and his wife, Karen, grieve for K-9 Andor, Wann's partner and a part of their family. K-9 Unit Deputy Steve Benoy, holding his dog Blitz, salutes as taps is sounded for K-9 Andor. At 6-foot-1 and nearly 300 pounds, Bexar County sheriff's Deputy Robert Wann does not cry often, certainly not easily or in front of strangers. But when his partner of three years, a soulful-eyed Belgian malinois named K-9 Andor, died two weeks ago, Wann wept for days. "I didn't think it would affect me like this," Wann said. "But he would listen to my problems. He was my partner." Losing Andor, he said, "broke my heart."  So Wann sought help from his supervisor, whom he knew to be a dog lover, and the two planned the department's first canine funeral service, complete with a three-volley salute, a lone bugler and all the other traditional trappings of a law enforcement officer's funeral. Friday, deputies escorted a solemn funeral procession to the Sheriff's Office training academy, headed by a grey limousine holding Wann's family. "It may seem unusual," said Sgt. Tammy Burr, who helped organize the service. "But we wanted to make sure we do the proper thing. The dog deserves the same respect, per se, as any other law enforcement officer." Jim Watson, secretary of the North American Police Work Dog Association, said full-honors funerals for police dogs are increasingly common because "not only is it like an officer, but it's like a member of that officer's family." "It's just as hard as losing a human partner," he said. Described as a "light switch" because of his ability to shift from friendly pet to snarling terror,Andor was put down June 27 after suffering cervical spinal cord compression, a degenerative genetic condition that his veterinarian said may have been aggravated by his work. In her eulogy, Burr told the crowd of mostly uniformed law enforcement officers and several four-legged colleagues that Andor had a history of "unselfish service." "While he didn't receive one red cent for his service, he never complained about his working conditions, lack of time off or his benefits package," Burr said. "He was content to work for the pure joy of the job and a small amount of praise." Hailing from Holland, Andor was acquired by the Sheriff's Office from the Hill Country Dog Center in 2003. Deputy Steve Benoy, who trains the department's canines,said Andor had "one of the best personalities as far as being a police dog."  "It was like working with a 5-year-old kid that's excited all the time," he said. A patrol and narcotics dog who received his commands in Dutch, Andor signaled a find by sitting down. One of his most notable was 9 kilograms of cocaine under a panel in the back seat of a Kia. Another time, he sniffed out $130,000 in cash on a Drug Enforcement Agency sting. Deputy Nadia Ben Kacem, who worked with Andor while she was on the gang detail, said,"I had no fear when I was with him." 
She recalled trying to arrest and handcuff two gang members by herself and telling them: "I'm not a sprinter. But guess what. My partner in the back is." At home, Andor was sweet-tempered and docile. He had an especially close bond with Wann's father, who was then in a wheelchair and who died in the past year, and would often rest his head in the man's lap. But as soon as Wann put on his uniform, "it was serious stuff, it was business," said his wife, Karen Wann. "I tried to give my husband a kiss one time, and he was snapping his teeth. He wanted a part of me."  After Andor was diagnosed in October, Wann planned on keeping him. But over the past month, the 67-pound "freight train" rapidly lost strength. His physical motor skills deteriorated to the point that he fell into Wann's pool while setting off on a urinating trip. "I just couldn't watch it," said Wann, who plans to add Andor's ashes to the glass cabinet holding his father's remains in the living room. Friday, after a bugler sounded taps and Wann was handed a Texas flag, a sheriff's dispatcher called repeatedly for K-9 Andor over the radio. Hearing no response,she set off the beeping tone that typically indicates an officer is in trouble. "K-9 Andor has successfully completed his final duty," the dispatcher concluded. "Badge number 007 is officially retired, never to be used again." 

submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

waiting for photo

Partner: Patrolman Bruce Keffer
North Huntingdon Police Dept.
11279 Center Hwy
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 15642
(724)863-8800 - County: Westmoreland

North Huntingdon mourns death of veteran police dog,K-9 Officer Ar-Part, a Dutch Malinois service dog
who found missing children and hidden drugs during his seven-year tenure with North Huntingdon's police department,died Wednesday afternoon. He was 9 years old. The cause of death was gastric torsion, a condition where the stomach partially flips because of excess fluid, North Huntingdon Patrolman William Sombo said. Ar-Part, or, as he was known around the office, "Part," joined the North Huntingdon police force in 2000 when he was 2. Joining forces with Patrolman Bruce Keffer, Ar-Part was a dual-purpose canine in patrol and narcotics. When he wasn't nabbing criminals or sniffing out drugs, Ar-Part visited local schools, where his "extremely approachable" demeanor was a hit with kids, according to Sombo. Ar-Part came to America from Holland when he joined the North Huntingdon force. There, he was trained by Sombo, who found Ar-Part "very easy to train because of his drive." Sombo said Ar-Part heeded commands spoken in Dutch, and no one in the department knows the story behind Ar-Part's unusual name. Ar-Part lived with Keffer. Ar-Part and Keffer were preparing to leave for a week-long training session in North Carolina next week, and Ar-Part worked his shift before dying at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The dog was treated at veterinary facilities in North Huntingdon and Monroeville. The North Huntingdon community has rallied around Ar-Part in his passing. Local businesses already have adorned their signs with Ar-Part tributes, Sombo said. Following police protocol, Ar-Part will be honored with a public memorial service because he died while
in service. Memorial service arrangements are being planned.
By Erich Schwartzel  TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Fsubmitted by Renee' Konias

Police dog dies; car failure blamed Deputy left A/C running, but engine overheated in sun while he was away
Broward Sheriff's detective training at Port Everglades on Wednesday returned to his patrol car to find smoke seeping from the hood. He had left the engine and air conditioning running to keep his K-9 partner comfortable, but the engine overheated in the noontime sun. It stopped the air conditioner and left the dog helpless, as the inside of the car grew hotter from the 85-degree heat. By the time Bomb Squad Detective Robert Connors reached K-9 Astro in the back seat, the male Belgian Malinois was fading. Connor's partner the past five years was pronounced dead at Hollywood Animal Hospital. "He's devastated," said sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. "It's like losing a member of the family. They lived together."  The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident but has so far blamed the dog's death on an engine malfunction. The patrol cars fitted for K-9 units are equipped with an alarm that is supposed to sound if the engine overheats. The windows also are supposed to automatically roll down, Coleman-Wright said. None of that happened Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office said. It's not uncommon for deputies to leave their patrol cars running for extended periods, which they often do when they need to keep their flashing lights on while blocking off crime scenes. The Sheriff's Office is planning a memorial for Astro. BSO is investigating why the car engine malfunctioned and what led to Astro's death. Memorial service was held.

More on K-9 ARYN - 1/25/07
Gwinnett County Police are mourning the loss of one of their own.  K-9 Aryn, who spent seven years with the department, was put to sleep Wednesday morning because of complications from health issues, said Gwinnett County Police spokesman Cpl. Darren Moloney. Aryn, who began with the force in 1997 with handler Officer Rick Garner, retired in 2004 after he was shot in the line of duty, Moloney said. Upon retirement, his handler was Cpl. Mike Waddell, who was "pretty torn up" by the dog's death, Moloney said.
"For the department, we lost an officer; for Cpl. Waddell, he lost a partner and a friend," Moloney said. "This dog literally saved his life." Aryn, born in 1995, was considered a hero in 2004 after he helped officers find a double-homicide suspect in the shooting deaths of William "Bill" Venable, a Tucker High School teacher and coach, and his 17-year-old son, William "Bill" Jr. The two were shot in their home the night of Jan. 13 during a home invasion. The suspect, later identified as 19-year-old Terry James Chaney, fled the home and was hiding in a nearby wooded area when officers arrived. Waddell, Aryn and other officers were searching the wooded area, and that was when Chaney shot Aryn.The officers then fired back at Chaney, who was shot multiple times and killed at the scene. Aryn retired shortly thereafter, but received awards for his heroism, including two medals of valor, a Purple Heart and a lifetime membership from the local Fraternal Order of Police, Moloney said. He was also named as one of the department's officers of the year in 2004. Aryn's funeral service will be closed to the public. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to: The Cody Fund, c/o The Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 220, Duluth, GA 30097. 

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