 Memorials
to Fallen K-9s
2002 page 5 Gone but never will be forgotten F.A.S.T. Co. donates cards to all partners of all working dogs/horses |
Dept. addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers. See below
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K-9 TAZ April 26, 2001 (late entry)  Partner: Patrolman Christopher Kaupe Fairfax Police Dept. CA 144 Bolinas Road Fairfax CA 94930 submitted by Carol Williams-Skaggs The Marin Humane Society
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"Taz" a male German Shepherd 8 years., had to be euthanized 4/26/01 due to kidney disease.  After six years of searching buildings, capturing suspects, and walking in town parades, Fairfax Police K9 Taz passed away this week due to kidney failure. The eight year old male German Shepherd had been ill since Monday, said Officer Christopher Kaupe. Taz was euthanized at the Marin Humane Society on Thursday after it was determined that the dog had an ailment that could not be cured. Taz was the first dog to work with Fairfax Police. The K-9 worked with his partner Chris, assisting on calls, and also helped other agencies over 60 times. Taz was described by co-workers as "dedicated and sharp" and responsible for over 18 captures that would not have been made without him. "Taz was much more than a police dog, he was a mascot for the Fairfax Police force" said Kaupe. "When I would drive around with Taz, children would yell his name, and ask to pet him. He really will be missed." Taz had led the town parade celebrating the opening of Little League just a month before his death.  cards
received 4/1/02
(continue of 30' fall) The frantic officers performed first aid, and, after stabilizing her, strapped her to a backboard and rushed to get her immediate care. With a fractured distal femur, Storm underwent two hours of emergency surgery performed by Dr. Andrew Sams, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon with an office in Fairfax. It was a lengthy procedure since Storm had lost so much of the bone, Sams said. "What makes it challenging is it splintered into multiple pieces," he said. "It doesn't fit back together like a puzzle." Plates and screws were required to stabilize the bone, and a synthetic bone graft was performed to fill in the missing pieces. The procedure went well, and the prognosis is good, Sams said. If the bone heals without loosening the plates or the screws, she is likely to return to duty. For Kaupe, the experience has been emotionally exhausting, he said, since this isn't the first time his partner has been down. Last spring, he lost Taz, a 8-year-old German shepherd who worked by his side for six years and was credited with more than 18 captures. Taz succumbed to kidney failure. "So it's really rough," he said of Storm's injury. "I've handled dogs for seven years now- it's just a pleasure." The Marin Humane Society's K-9 Care Fund, established to offset expenses incurred by the county's police's and search and rescue dogs, picked up the cost of treating Storm's injury. This time around, however, the fund took a hit, officials said. The surgery, expected to cost anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000, has essentially wiped out the fund. "If a dog gets shot tomorrow, we can't cover it," Humane Society spokeswoman Marissa Miller said. "We want to take care of the dogs that take care of us." Humane Society officials are asking for donations to replenish the fund. Donations may be sent to The Marin Humane Society, K-9 Care Fund, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. Novato, 94949. Yesterday at the Humane Society, a timid Storm moved about a bit on her bad leg, which now sports a shaved section where a roughly 15-inch incision held together with nearly 40 staples can be seen. These days, it's quiet time for the dog, giving everyone who loves her time to reflect on how fortunate she was. "When Chris told me how far she fell, I thought, 'Oh, God,'" recalled the Humane Society's Carol Williams-Skaggs, who oversees the Humane Society's K-9 program and has worked for years with the officer. "She's got a guardian angel over her Marin Humane Societyhead." |
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K-9 JETTA March 27, 2002 (SAR) Rescue & Recovery K-9  Handler: Patrick Horn Spanish Lake Fire Protection District MO The Missouri Region C Technical Rescue Team Canine Division thank
you Keli, for your wonderful email. Hope time heals.
cards mailed 4/4/02 & received. |
 Grieving humans pay last respects to rescue and recovery "legend." BY VALERIE SCHREMP 1 636.946.3903 Of the Post-Dispatch - 03/29/2002 08:38 PM Pat Horn, his wife Keli, holding their nine month old daughter Maggie, sit close to the flag draped coffin of Jetta, the rescue dog. Pat Horn was the dog's handler. The flag draped casket sat in the front of several rows of chairs, and Spanish Lake firefighter Patrick Horn looked on somberly. So did Lincoln County Fire Chief Steve Fair, & Affton Fire Captain, Bill Albright. Also the deceased's brothers and sisters from other police & fire departments: K-9s CODY, CINDER, ALI, MOSES, & PRICE came Friday morning to pay their respects to Jetta, a 10 year old German Shepherd, who died Wednesday. She suffered a ruptured disk in her back, perhaps from an old injury, and had to be euthanized. Jetta wasn't just Horn's best friend. She was a rescue and recovery dog, called a "legend" and even a "firefighter" by her human companions. Jetta is credited with finding missing children and an elderly Alzheimer's patient who walked away from his nursing home. She helped with three murder convictions, found 15 drowning victims and has searched for remains after the plane carrying Gov. Mel Carnahan crashed. She has looked for just about every missing or murdered child the area has lost in recent years: Arlin Henderson, Gina Dawn Brooks, Heather Kullorn, Angie Housman. Inside the bays of station house No. 1 of the Lincoln County Fire Protection District in Troy, Mo., the Rev. Glenn Davis, chaplain of the Wright City Fire Protection District, stood next to the casket and led the group in prayer. "Whether the hero is a man on two feet, or his companion on four feet, they are heroes who are worthy of honor," he said. As they left the firehouse, the firefighters and police officers and their dogs filed past Jetta's closed casket, where she lay with her badge and orange rescue vest. Some paused and saluted. A funeral procession accompanied the casket to the Horns' house, southwest of Troy, where family members had dug a grave alongside a creek. A recording of bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace" wailed from a boombox. Firefighters carried Jetta's casket down two lines of firefighters and police officers. Under a graveside tent, the firefighters folded the flag from Jetta's casket. Fair gave the flag to Horn and hugged him. In a cold, steady rain, Davis led the group in another prayer. "Bless all of those who have lived their lives answering the alarm," he said. "Bless all of those who will bring comfort to those in crisis. Bless Jetta, who has been called home by the master's alarm, called to comfort." ..
"Jetta was more than a service/SAR dog, she was our pride and joy." |
