Memorials to Fallen K-9s
2003
page 18
The
F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of cards to all partners
I
need your help to inform me of such
losses.
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Dept.
addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers.
See below
Late
entry
In Loving Memory
of
K-9
ARCO
1998
- May 7, 2001
Partner:
Deputy Michael W. Gordon
Clay County Sheriff
12
S. Water - Liberty, Missouri 64068
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Arco
was in service from May 1996 until February 2001. He had originally been
with the Kansas City Police Department. Arco was born in 1989 in Belgium,
and he passed In May of 2002.Thank you so much for providing us with this
web site. This has brought back some very strong memories for me, and I
realize how much he meant to me.
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cards
to be mailed 6/23/03
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..
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Michael
Gordon is a K9 handler for the Clay County Missouri Sheriff's Department.
A little over a year ago, I lost probably the best friend I ever had. My
partner, K9 Arco. We worked together for six years. We were quite a team.
Arco retired and lived with me for a year, when his back finally gave in
and he could not walk or sit without agony. That trip to the vet
was the hardest ride I have ever made. Even
in his excruciating pain, his eyes lit up like in the days we were a team.
He knew he was back in HIS car. We stopped at a Quik Trip and I bought
him a couple of hot dogs. There were people looking at him in the patrol
unit, he was as fierce and brave as ever. When the time came, I held him
in my arms and watched as his pain fade away. I still cry and my
heart aches to this day. I have a new partner, and I love him too, but
Arco was my first and he and I had that bond that everyone talks about.
We were shot at, rode out a tornado together in our unit. Arco could find
dope anywhere, anytime. Other handlers would always request Arco to "proof"
the tougher finds. On a cold January night, Arco found a half a million
dollars that was headed to Texas to purchase drugs. Arc's nose netted about
$474,000.00 in cash during a drug bust February 5, 1997, on Interstate
#35 in Clay County. A Trooper stopped a car for a traffic infraction, called
K9 Arco because the suspects gave conflicting stories. K9 Arco went crazy.
He hit upon the bumper of the vehicle, toward the back end. Apparently
these suspect were carrying a suitcase full of money. The patrol officer
opened the trunk and found the suitcase where Arco indicated. It had the
odor of drugs. Money alone will not attract a trained K9, but apparently
the suit case where the money was, previously carried the drugs. Both people
inside the car denied ownership of the money or even knew it was there.
The driver was issued a traffic summons and they were released. The department
has started an effort to seize their share of the money. The good news
was it would help the budget. K9 Arco had T-bones for dinner that night.
Without him, we would not have remove numerous guns and untold amounts
of narcotics from the street. He even had a bounty on his head, he was
that good. If you would please list my friend on your memorial, I
would be eternally grateful. I will attach a picture of him in his prime,
and you will see how handsome and proud he was. I miss him terribly.
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In Loving Memory
of
K-9
TY
LODD
June
9, 2003
Partner:
Cpl. Gerald
Turning Jr.
Tinton
Falls Police Dept.
556
Tinton Ave
Tinton
Falls, New Jersey 07724
(732)542-4422
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TINTON
FALLS - He was a community devotee of a different breed. He was bestfriend
to the law and to one police officer. He was Tinton Falls' K-9 patrol
Officer
Ty. The sweet-natured, skilled tracking, narcotics and patrol dog died
suddenly June 9 from an illness that shows no warning signs. Ty's sudden
death shocked and saddened not only his human partner, Cpl. Gerald Turning
Jr., but it left a great void on police beats near and far. A K-9's job
is often performed discretely; nonetheless, they are touted as four-legged
patrol heroes. Ty was considered one of those heroes by his police colleagues
and supervisors.
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At
nearly five years old, the black German shepherd "was just coming into
his prime," said Major Gerald Turning, father of Turning Jr. and head of
the borough police department. The K-9 officer's death came so rapidly
that the department had an autopsy done "to make certain he wasn't poisoned
or something," Turning said. "It turned out that he had a bizarre
illness which goes undetected and can occur in large-chested dogs. It's
called bloat. As I understand it, the dog's stomach turns over in the [chest]
cavity. You can't see it coming." Calling the loss devastating, Turning
reminisced that Ty was not only a "very social dog," he was a top-notch
K-9. Ty, he said, had just returned from a K-9 trial/competition in Auburn,
Mass., where he won first place in obedience, second in agility and third
in search, placing as a top dog in the nation's Region 4 of the K-9 community.
The high placing in the Massachusetts trial qualified Ty for the National
Police Dog Trial. "His loss just hurts everyone," Turning said. A teletype
was sent out to police departments in the area, many of which Ty assisted
in narcotics and missing persons searches as well as nabbing criminals
on the run. In addition to aiding State Police and the Monmouth County
Prosecutor's Office with his keen sense of smell (800 times that of a human)
and attention to detail, Ty assisted Eatontown, Asbury Park and Middletown
police departments whenever his help was needed. "Ty and Cpl. Turning have
provided invaluable service to our department," Middletown Police
Chief John Pollinger said. "We are saddened not only by his death but the
fact that such a wonderful K-9 had such a short life. His loss is a tremendous
one." Pollinger recounted that in Middletown, Ty and retired K-9 Rookie
helped in missing persons searches and tracking suspects. The two, he said,
served as role models for the profession. "Before we got our K-9
unit up and running, we called upon Tinton Falls a number of times," Pollinger
said. "Ty and Rookie were both in great demand all over the county," Turning
said. The team of Ty and Turning graduated from the borough's in-house
patrol dog school, conducted by Capt. Glenn Rogers (Rookie's partner) in
January 2000. The two completed State Police narcotics school training
in December of the same year. Ty also completed several certifications
in tracking, patrol and narcotics during his short career. While the borough
is proceeding to train K-9 Shane, a shepherd, to partner with officer Thomas
Dennehy, and a Belgian malamute to partner with Turning, "Ty will be greatly
missed by the citizens of Tinton Falls," Turning said. "He was a very social,
special dog. The loss is especially difficult for my son. A K-9 is basically
on his partner's hip from the time he starts training with him. We have
to keep moving with the program [K-9]. But it's very difficult to say goodbye."
notified
by Jim Cortina Dir. CPWDA
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In Loving Memory
of
K-9
PRINCESS
April
12, 2003
Partner:
Deputy Jay Dempsey
Dallas
County Sheriff's Office
Orange
Beach P.D.
P.O
Box 1039
Orange
Beach, AL 36561
251
981.9777
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On
April 12, 2003, 14 year old K-9 Princess died at her home in Orange Beach,
AL after a long fight with artritis and cancer. Princess was Jay
"Packy" Dempsey's first K-9. He raised her from a 6 week old puppy in Selma,
AL where she was certified as a Narcotic dog in 1991 and serviced with
the Dallas County Sheriff's Office until 1999.
Princes
was the recipient of 3 National "Out standing bravery in the line of duty'
awards, placed in the top 20 fives year in a row at the National Narcotic
Detector Dog Association National Competitions, and received 2 officer
of the year awards.
On
Dec. 7, 1994, Princess save the life of Officer Dempsey and subsequently
"in the line of duty' produced a video for officer survival training.
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late entry
In Loving Memory
of
K-9
SILKIE
Nov. xx, 2002
Partner:
Deputy Steve Romero
Harris
County Sheriff's Dept.
TX
713-606-0133 voice message
for Steve c.b.
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Harris
County Precinct 4 Constable's Office loses 7 year veteran K-9 Silkie to
cancer.
Handler:
Deputy Steve Romero (posted 11/23/02)
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Continue
to Page 19 of 2003 K-9 Memorials
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