K9 officers often give their life while in the line of duty.
Like their human counterparts, K9 officers enter dangerous situations on a daily basis. Unfortunately, some K9 officers’ duties come to an end as the result of tragedy.
Credo was a K9 officer in Long Beach, California at the time of his death.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, the Long Beach police force endured an incredible loss when Credo died by friendly fire during a shootout involving a suspect with a deadly weapon. Credo was 4 years old at the time of his death and toured as a K9 officer for two years.
The intense shootout involved an aggressive suspect with a deadly weapon. Credo responded to the aggressive suspect by moving to protect his human counterparts from harm. When officers responded to the aggressive suspect by shooting, they hit Credo with one of the bullets. Although they rushed Credo to the veterinary hospital for medical attention, he eventually died of his wounds from the shootout.
The K9 Officer Association responded by issuing tactical vests to K9 officers.
According to Long Beach Post, Steve Ditmars – a former K9 officer handler and the president of the K9 Officers Association in Long Beach – announced the issuing of tactical vests for the K9 officers. According to Ditmars, the vests cost $30,000. Ditmars also noted they would buy a new K9 officer for Credo’s former handler – Mike Parcells – when he was ready for a new partner.
“As someone who spent six years as a police service dog handler, I understand the bond between the handler and their K-9. You spend many long hours training and patrolling and then when you finally get home your partner is still with you. The truth is you spend more time with your dog than you do your family. For this, you are rewarded with a loving, dedicated partner. The eyes say it all and they say ‘let’s go to work, dad.’”
During Credo’s memorial service, officers thanked the public for both their donations and their condolences after his tragic death.
Unfortunately, this type of story is all too common among K9 officers.
According to ABC 7 News, not all K9 deaths are the result of intense shootouts. A Connecticut police department recently said goodbye to a K9 officer named Hunter. Hunter was ill several days before passing away, according to his human counterpart, Michael D’Aresta.
Testing later revealed the K9 officer suffered from aggressive liver cancer. Veterinarians recommended euthanasia to end Hunter’s pain and suffering.
Hunter and his partner served a Connecticut police department together for more than a decade before his passing. Saddening pictures of Officer D’Aresta holding Hunter close while surrounded by his saluting brothers and sisters in arms surfaced on the Middletown Police Department’s Facebook page.
In a separate Facebook post, the Middletown Police Department discussed how the decision to euthanize a K9 officer is one of the hardest a K9 handler ever makes.
For a police department, a K9 officer passing is no different than the passing of a human officer. K9 officers and their handlers spend so much time together that they develop the same special bond you develop with a family member. When a K9 officer, such as Credo or Hunter, dies, the loss is an unimaginable weight on the police department.
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