Memorials to Fallen K-9s
2001 page 18 F.A.S.T.
Co. donates cards to all partners
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PLEASE feel free to send condolences to officers with P.D. addresses below.
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K-9 BART December 13, 2001 
Partner: Peter Bryce Canine Specialist Protection, 3 Oaks Training Kennels. Botley Road, Bishops Waltham. Southampton, England SO32 1DR UK
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K-9 FERRO AKA; Ferro vom Sickenger Moorwerk December 14, 2001 
........Partners: Deputy Greg Premo & Deputy John Reding Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. WA....
cards priority mailed 12/19/01
Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy John Reding checks out his K-9 partner Ferro at a Tacoma veterinary clinic in May 2001, after the dog was found near where he had been lost a week earlier. Ferro was killed by a patrol car 12/14/01. 253.798.4721
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Ex-partner rushed to injured dog's side FERRO:... By Stacey Burns, The News Tribune........ Deputy deeply saddened after famous sheriff's dog dies in his arms As Pierce County sheriff's deputy John Reding toiled with paperwork late Wednesday, he listened on the scanner as his former partner chased after a suspect. He could tell Ferro was excited by the yip in the 5-year-old German shepherd's bark. "He gets so jacked up in the cars," said Reding, who was Ferro's handler until three weeks ago when he transferred out of the department's K-9 unit. "I got to know his yip after almost five years." Suddenly, a voice screamed over the radio. Another deputy's patrol car had accidentally hit Ferro in Parkland while he chased a fleeing man across Pacific Avenue South near 112th Street East. Reding dropped what he was doing and rushed to be with his friend. Two hours later, Ferro died in Reding's arms, but not before Reding stroked him and whispered into his ear. "It made me feel like something happened to one of my children," a sorrowful Reding, the married father of three girls, said Friday. "You go through so much with that darn dog that the bond is unbelievable," said Reding, a dog handler for four years. Ferro, a purebred from eastern Germany, was one of five Pierce County sheriff's dogs. He was the county's most famous crimefighter, man, woman or dog, having been featured several times on the TV show "COPS." He'd also recently survived a week lost in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Greenwater. Ferro helped capture hundreds of criminals, including suspects in killings, kidnappings, rapes, burglaries and armed robberies. "That dog was amazing," Reding said. "He was a tough dog with a lot of heart, a lot of personality." Ferro lived for riding in the patrol car, but he also enjoyed hauling around large objects, playing tug-of-war and racing to fetch. And like most dogs, he loved to be petted. "He'd go to sleep in your arms just like he did the other night," Reding said. "He died at work and that's the way, if he had any human thoughts, I think he would have been happy doing - dying at work." The department plans a public remembrance for Ferro on Thursday. He will be cremated and his ashes given to Reding, who is more saddened than upset at Ferro's death. When Reding transferred out of the K-9 unit he had wanted Ferro to step down as well, but another deputy needed the German shepherd's help. "I wanted Ferro to retire also, that way he'd have a good, long life," Reding said. "But it was nice for the guys in patrol because they all loved Ferro." * Staff writer Stacey Burns covers Pierce County crime and safety issues. Reach her at 253-597-8268 or stacey.burns@mail.tribnet.com. - - - Service, donations for dog * A public memorial service for Ferro will be Thursday at Covenant Celebration Church, 72nd Street and Portland Avenue. 1 PM * Donations for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's K-9 unit can be made in Ferro's name at any TAPCO Credit Union in Tacoma or Pierce County. For more information, call the credit union at 253-565-9875.
K-9 veteran Ferro dies in the line of duty By CANDACE HECKMAN SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER A Pierce County police dog was accidentally killed by a patrol car shortly before midnight yesterday while in pursuit of an armed felon in Parkland. Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy John Reding checks out his K-9 partner Ferro at a Tacoma veterinary clinic in May after the dog was found near where he had been lost a week earlier. Ferro was killed by a patrol car yesterday. Ferro, a 5-year-old German shepherd, had been with the Sheriff's Department since birth and has been responsible for many fugitive and narcotics arrests, sheriff's spokesman, Ed Troyer said. The accident happened after Ferro's partner, Deputy Greg Premo, stopped a suspect for speeding in a car with invalid license plates. When the suspect jumped out of the car and ran into a gas station, the dog quickly sniffed him out & chased him across the street. Ferro was hit when he ran in front of another patrol car that came to support the pursuit. "The deputy who hit him is all broken up about it, but we're not placing blame anywhere," Troyer said. "It was just a tragic accident." The dog died at an emergency veterinary clinic within an hour of being hit. Authorities eventually caught the suspect with help from a Tacoma police dog. They believe the car he was driving had been stolen. "Dogs such as Ferro are true partners and members of their handler's family," Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said. "Ferro was a K-9 of tremendous heart, and he will be greatly missed by this agency and this community." Troyer said Ferro was probably more popular and famous than any of his human colleagues. The dog was featured several times on the television show "Cops," sniffing out suspects and pulling criminals from trees. Ferro last made the news in the spring, when he became lost for a week in the woods near Mount Rainier. He and his former handler, Deputy John Reding, had been tracking a suspected car thief in the dark when the deputy lost sight of the dog. Ferro was eventually found in the same spot from where he vanished. The dog had lost 20 pounds, but was back to work within a month. The department is working on plans for a memorial service for Ferro, which could be scheduled for next week. The dog will be cremated, Troyer said. Donations to the K-9 unit in Ferro's name may be made at any Pierce County branch of TAPCO Credit Union. 253.565.9875. jason.hagey@mail.tribnet.com. © The News Tribune 12/21/2001
Thursday, December 13, 2001 Sheriff's Dog Struck & Killed by Car in Parkland Green River Murders... More about Ferro: A Pierce County Sheriff's Department dog has been struck and killed by a patrol car. Deputies say the accident occurred during a pursuit at an intersection in Parkland. At least one juvenile with a gun has been arrested, but the reason for the chase remains unclear. Detective Ed Troyer says the dog, Ferro was struck while chasing someone in the street. The German Shepherd died about 12:30 this morning after being taken to an urgent care facility for animals. Ferro gained attention in May after surviving for nearly a week in the woods north of Mount Rainier. Deputies lost track of the dog during the search for a fugitive near Greenwater. Ferro lost about 20 pounds during the ordeal but quickly regained the lost weight. In August, the dog helped sniff out a 15-year-old boy who was accused of killing his aunt in Graham.
Tacoma pays tribute to a fallen canine hero Friday, December 21, 2001 By ELAINE PORTERFIELD SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER TACOMA -- He was a German aristocrat with a wolfish smile, and he was a television star to boot. But he never insisted on anyone using his full title -- Ferro von Sickenger Noorwerk. Plain old Ferro would do just fine. Barring that, "Good Boy" was equally welcome. Yesterday the ashes of Ferro, police dog extraordinaire, were carried through the streets of Pierce County in a final procession to honor the canine killed in the line of duty. Silent passers-by stopped to gaze at the cavalcade of police vehicles bringing those ashes to a memorial at an East Tacoma church. Schoolchildren waved. John Reding, Ferro's first handler, comforts his daughter, Courteney, after receiving a service plaque in memory of the fallen police dog during memorial services yesterday in Tacoma. Mike Urban / Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Once inside Covenant Celebration Church, several hundred people sat in attendance -- many of them police officers and K-9 handlers from around the Northwest. The Tacoma Scots Band played in Ferro's honor. Other K-9 dogs in attendance bore the pipes stoically, although none appeared terribly happy. "Ferro died doing what he did best -- chasing bad guys," Maj. Tom Miner of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department told the audience. The dog boasted 152 misdemeanor and felony arrests, and successful tracks that led to the apprehension of dozens of other criminals. He and his handlers searched countless darkened buildings, fields and forests where other deputies could not safely go. Ferro captured a national audience after five appearances on the television show "Cops." Last summer, on camera, he managed to capture one bad guy who fired at deputies during a pursuit. He even endured his own trial in the wilderness in May, when he disappeared while chasing a suspected car thief in the rugged woods near Mount Rainier. During the chase, he became separated from his handler at the time, John Reding. Despite a search by dozens of search-and-rescue workers and other tracking dogs, Ferro was missing for seven days. He was found in the same spot where he vanished, more than 20 pounds lighter. In a month, however, he was back on the job. "I kept him safe; he kept me safe," Reding said yesterday. "He had a lot of heart." From left, McKenzie Spencer, Olivia Moody and Karie Reding look through the contents of a box containing the ashes of Ferro the police dog. A compartment in the box held the dog's police badge, work collar and other mementos. Ferro and Reding began their service together Jan. 1, 1998. During his off hours, Ferro lived with Reding, his wife, their three young daughters and a leggy blonde named Heide, another German shepherd the family laughingly called Ferro's girlfriend. But on Dec. 13, shortly after midnight, Ferro's luck ran out. His new partner, Deputy Greg Premo, had stopped a man for speeding in a car with bad license plates. The man jumped out of the car and ran into a gas station. Ferro quickly sniffed him out and chased him across the street. That's when Ferro was struck by another patrol car coming to help. Deputies rushed him to an emergency veterinarian, who worked for two hours to try to save his life. Numerous deputies crowded into the animal hospital, first to hold a prayerful vigil for his recovery, then to mourn his passing. Reding completed his tour of duty in the K-9 unit last fall, and Ferro was assigned to Premo. The two had only been together a few weeks at the time of Ferro's death. The two had already developed a strong bond, and Reding said Premo has profoundly apologized to him for Ferro's death. "I told him, 'Don't worry about it,'" Reding said. "It was something that just happened." Reding's three girls, ages 12, 10 and 8, are still grieving the loss of the dog they called their "baby boy." Sympathy cards have flooded in from all over, even from police in New York, where officers surely have a more profound grief with which to deal. Yesterday's ceremony likely would have been unbearably solemn for a mischievous dog such as Ferro, who was 5 when he died. Around station houses, he delighted in shredding any stuffed animals he could find. He was especially merciless when it came to his nemesis, a stuffed monkey that hung from the ceiling in one precinct. For that creature, Ferro would uncoil an awesome vertical leap of almost 8 feet to bring the monkey down to earth. "The dog just didn't want to quit," Sgt. Paul Schneider told those at the service. Mainstream religious wisdom has long debated whether animals have souls; many authoritative sources say they do not. But yesterday, from the grief written on the faces of those in attendance, to the tender way they stroked their own dogs, it was clear Ferro had gone to heaven. He is survived by his handlers and their families; his girlfriend, Heide; and at least two littermates, Frankie and Felicia. ----------------------------------- P-I reporter Elaine Porterfield can be reached at 206-870-7851 or elaineporterfield@seattlepi.com |
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K-9 KANTO December 13, 2001 
Partner: Deputy Robert Andrews Plymouth County Sheriff Dept. MA 
Deputy Robbie Andrews Plymouth County Sheriff's Department, K-9 Unit - (508.530.6328) Obery ST. Plymouth, MA 02360 
cards mailed 1/4/02
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K-9 cop loses his best friend: Kanto killed by car Plymouth County Deputy Sheriff Robert Andrews will miss his canine partner, Kanto. The 75-pound German shepherd was killed by a car.
POLICE DOG IS KILLED IN HIT & RUN Marshfield animal lover is putting up a $500 reward for information on a hit-&-run accident that killed a deputy sheriff's dog in Duxbury last week. James Ross has established ''The Kanto Reward Fund'' at Eastern Bank in Marshfield. He hopes the fund will collect money both for the reward, to buy a new dog for Deputy Sheriff Robert Andrews. He owned Kanto, a German Shepherd from Czechoslovakia, for 5 years. Last Wed. night, Kanto was finishing a nightly exercise routine in Andrews's backyard in Duxbury when he unexpectedly darted into the street and was hit by a car. Kanto died on impact, Andrews said. According to Duxbury police LT. Roger Banfill, whoever killed Kanto would likely only face a fine for failing to report the accident. Earlier this week, Banfill said, the police were following some leads, & hoped the reward money would bring in more phone calls. Andrews, who would command his dog in Czech, said his proudest moments were when Kanto helped find missing children or senior citizens. Kanto once helped to find a 5-year-old Plymouth boy who had run away from home. The boy was hiding in an outdoor shower stall and the dog sniffed him out. The sheriff's department pays for food & veterinary services, but K-9 officers buy their own dogs. Andrews, a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department, paid $3,500 for Kanto, but to him, the dog was invaluable. ''I don't think I'll ever, ever find a dog to replace him,'' he said. Although Duxbury does have a dog leash law, Andrews says the real issue is the driver did not stop after hitting Kanto. ''You are to stop, regardless of who's at fault,'' he said. Last year, Ross helped rally support for a German Shepherd, Bubba who was hit by a truck in Plympton and was seriously injured. He ultimately raised more than $9,000 to rehabilitate Bubba, who ''runs like a bullet now.'' After hearing about Kanto, Ross wanted to find a way to offer his support. A self-described animal lover, he says most people don't understand how important animals are to their owners. ''The majority of them are family members,'' Ross said. Those who wish to donate to The Kanto Reward Fund may write to Eastern Bank, 1932 Ocean St., Marshfield, MA 02050. Emily Shartin can be reached by e-mail at eshartin@globe.com.Globe Staff Correspondent, 12/20/2001
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