Memorials to Fallen K-9s
2003
page 20
The
F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of cards to all partners
I
need your help to inform me of such
losses.
|
Dept.
addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers.
See below
In Loving Memory
of
K-9
ROWDY
June 30, 2003
Partner:
DFC Emmett Merritt
Charlotte
County Sheriff's
7474
Utilities Rd. - Punta
Gorda, FL 33982
941-639-2101
Fax Number: 941-639-7054
Email
link: sheriff@ccso.org
| Sheriff's
K-9 "Rowdy" dies. Jun 30, 2003 - FOLLOWUP INFO ON DEATH OF CCSO K-9
"ROWDY" A memorial service is expected to be held Wednesday
(July 2) for "Rowdy," a Charlotte County Sheriff's K-9 bloodhound
who died this morning at his home. A time for the special service will
be announced later. Rowdy's partner, DFC Emmett Merritt, said he checked
on Rowdy at 5:00 a.m. this morning, but found him dead around
10:00 a.m. An animal necropsy is being formed this afternoon by a Punta
Gorda veterinarian to determine the exact cause of death. Rowdy was born
in February 1999 and was four months old when donated to the Sheriff's
Office. DFC John Heck got him as a puppy and started his training. Rowdy
came from the Alie Foundation, a bloodhound placement service out of Englewood,
Colorado. DFC Merritt was given Rowdy two years ago to work with as his
partner. Heck now has K-9's Hutch and Midnight. Rowdy's tracking accomplishments
are many. The CCSO K-9 staff pulled together several accomplishments attributed
to Rowdy. They include: (continue
--->) |
submitted
by : Dusty Simon.... cards mailed 7/2/03
|
-
July 8,
2002: DFC Merritt and K-9 Rowdy were called to locate a missing 47 year
old mentally challenged adult. Rowdy tracked the missing man and found
him a half mile away.
-
July 12,
2002: DFC Merritt and Rowdy were called to locate a runaway 12 year old.
After obtaining a scented item, the team found the missing juvenile sleeping
in an unlocked pickup truck.
-
Sept.. 13,
2002: A call came to track a female who took numerous pills in a suicide
attempt and ran into a wooded area. Rowdy tracked the woman's scent from
a shirt she wore and located her, saving her life.
-
Oct. 8,
2002: A missing 9 year old left her home and was last seen going into a
woods. K-9 Rowdy used a pillow case for a scent and found the girl.
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Oct. 8,
2002: A call was received for a suicidal male who ran into a woods with
a knife. After using clothes as a scent article, Rowdy located the
man lying in a ditch, bleeding profusely.
-
Nov. 26,
2002: An elderly female wandered away from her home. Two hours later, DFC
Merritt and Rowdy showed up and tracked the woman who was found unconscious
in a large dog house.
-
May 19,
2003: A missing 8 year old ran from school into a wooded area. After using
a scent article, the boy was found. DFC Merritt said Rowdy was wagging
his tail when he located the boy. They pulled the brush back to find the
boy and Rowdy licked his face. K-9 Rowdy has dozens of other accomplishments
to his name as the CCSO tracking bloodhound. He also was a very lovable
K-9 who visited many area schools and was a big hit with children.
UPDATE - 9/9/2003
Sheriff's
K-9 team wins tracking award - Rowdy's nose may be gone,
but his fame grows.
The late bloodhound and his handler, Charlotte County Sheriff's Deputy
First Class Emmett Merritt, were honored Monday with the Trailing Team
of the Year Award from the Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.
Gov. Jeb Bush presented Merritt with the award on the steps of the old
capitol. "It was great," Merritt said. "This was the first time I've ever
been to the capital. "It was a great honor and award, but my biggest reward
is when you return missing children back to their families." Unfortunately,
Rowdy's award was posthumous. He died June 30 at Merritt's home of what
are presumed to be natural causes, not unusual for a bloodhound. An honorary
bone was accepted by Merritt's new K-9 partner, known for now as "Diamond."
He'll be officially named by Charlotte County elementary students in a
Friday morning ceremony.
Charlotte County was selected over four K-9 teams from Brevard, Marion
and Polk counties, but Merritt said the other nominees were happy he and
Rowdy won. "Rowdy was an excellent dog, that's why we ended up getting
it," Merritt said. The award was based on the team's performance locating
missing children in 2002, said Kristen Perezluha with the Florida Department
of Law Enforcement. "Merritt is a four-year veteran with the CCSO, and
the agency's only K-9 officer," Perezluha said. "Rowdy's contributions
were three cases involving children." The dog helped locate and recover
a runaway juvenile in July, tracked a missing 9-year-old girl in October
and in May of this year, he found an 8-year-old boy who ran from a school
bus into a wooded area." "The brush was so thick, I couldn't see the child,"
Merritt recalled. "When I pulled it back, there he was, and Rowdy was licking
his face." Even for a bloodhound, Rowdy was exceptional. "They've
got the instinct to track, I'm just the guy at the end of the leash," Merritt
explained. "You've got to be able to bond to the dog, he does it because
he loves you. And you've got to be able to read him, that's why we were
so successful." You can e-mail Malcolm Brenner at
mbrenner@sun-herald.com
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|
In loving memory
of
K-9
Harley
June
9, 2003 (date)?
Partner:
Officer John, "Jack" Doscinski
? Police Department
waiting
for more info and PD? date? and photo 7/2/03
cards to do
|
Expired
at age 11 after retiring from active duty in October 2001
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In loving memory
of
K-9
ZEUS
LODD
July
2, 2003
Partner:
Officer William Gray
Huntsville
Police Dept.
815
Wheeler Ave.
Huntsville,
Alabama 35801
(256)
427-7009
cards
to do photo to find
|
On
Wednesday July 2, at about 2100 hr. Huntsville
Police
K-9 "Zeus" died in the vehicle of his handler Officer William Gray. Zeus
was taken immediately to the Emergency Animal Clinic and doctors could
find no apparent cause of death. Zeus is being taken to Auburn University
for examination and hopefully pathology results will explain the death
of this 6 1/2 year old German Shepherd. Zeus was purchased directly
from Europe in 1998 and trained by Officer William Gray at the Huntsville
Police Department. They have been working and competing together yearly
on a National Level with the United States Police Canine Association for
the past five years in both narcotics and patrol. This team was one of
the top producing teams in the Unit and have been involved in many high
profile apprehensions. Most recently they were awarded a Medal of Valor
for the capture of an attempted murder, of a police officer, after a two-mile
track through the mountains in rural Morgan County.
Sgt.
Mark McMurray
Huntsville
Police K-9 Unit
Office
256-883-3637
Cell.
256-658-9829
AL
Police Remember K-9 At Funeral
By
WENDY REEVES - Huntsville Times
German
shepherd died suddenly of unknown causes
Under
the shade of a pine tree in a far back corner of the Huntsville Police
Department's K-9 Range Friday, officer William Gray stood still as a stone
statue while his partner Zeus was eulogized. Then, he struggled to hold
back his tears as other members of the K-9 unit lifted the white burial
box - a German shepherd's likeness painted at one end, black letters on
the other. Z-e-u-s.
|
submitted
article: Dusty Simon
submitted
photo: Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
|
After
the box was lowered into the ground, Gray and the K-9 Unit members shoveled
dirt onto Zeus' grave. Zeus was one of the first two European dogs Huntsville
department ever purchased, said K-9 Sgt. Mark McMurray. The 7-year-old
dog's death around 9 p.m. on July 2 was "totally unexpected," he said.
Gray found his partner dead inside the air-conditioned police car in which
they rode. Zeus had shown no signs of illness or injury during training
earlier that day. Experts at the Auburn University Toxicology, Pathology
and Diagnostic Veterinarian Lab have not found a cause of death, McMurray
said before Friday's funeral. An autopsy revealed nothing wrong with the
dog's heart or brain, and he had not been poisoned or drugged. On Wednesday,
the department started testing Gray's police cruiser for a carbon monoxide
problem, one possible cause of death. As of Friday, no leaks had had been
detected. There will be more tests on the dog's blood, said McMurray. Zeus
had a distinguished record. He helped find $13,837 worth of illegal drugs,
cash and other property, ranking him second in the eight-member K-9 unit,
said McMurray. He also found more than 20 pieces of evidence for investigators
at crime scenes during the past two years. Zeus and Gray also made some
"amazing apprehensions" over the last five years, said McMurray. Zeus made
seven apprehensions that required a bite to protect Gray. At least 50 other
suspects gave up when they heard or saw Zeus. A recent apprehension came
in Cullman County in February. There, Zeus made quite an impression, leaving
the last suspect he captured with a bite calling him "one bad dog." Gray
and Zeus were awarded the Police Department's Medal of Valor for their
February capture. That suspect, Rodney O'Neal Hanna, 30, of Warrior was
charged with two counts of attempted murder of police officers in Hanceville.
Gray said that capture was the most dangerous he and Zeus had ever faced.
After one officer was shot and others shot at, Huntsville police sent Gray,
Zeus and SWAT officer Matt Killion to Hanceville to help search for the
suspect. Gray and Zeus tracked the man down a creek. As they approached
a bend, Zeus started running. The K-9 found the suspect in the creek, hiding
under some branches. Zeus bit, and Hanna started to struggle. Officers
had weapons drawn while Gray approached and handcuffed Hanna. Then officers
found a cocked and loaded pistol Zeus had knocked out of the man's hand.
If it hadn't been for Zeus, said Hanceville Police Chief Edward Potter
afterward, other officers could have been hurt or killed trying to capture
the suspect. ray said that Zeus, like most dogs, had a unique personality.
When it came to work, the dog knew and did the job well. But, "Zeus had
the closest mentality to that of a kid that I've ever seen in a dog," Gray
said. That meant that while Zeus "just knew when it was more beneficial"
to do what Gray instructed, the dog would also take advantage of times
he could get away with something, "just like a child." Zeus loved to play
with a volleyball he flattened in Gray's backyard, where the K-9 lived
in a covered pen. After Friday's funeral, former K-9 officer Joey Torkar
had a different take on Zeus' favorite game: "His favorite game was biting
the bad guy," Torkar said, drawing a laugh from Gray. Gray said it's still
hard to get back into the patrol car without his partner, or to leave for
work without fetching Zeus from his pen. Gray said he will remember Zeus
as a "great partner and a great friend."
|
In loving memory
of
K-9
AJO
June
2003
Partner:
Sgt. Boyd Williams
Monroe County
South Police Dept.
MCSO
- Attn: Training Unit
5525
College Rd. (West)
Key
West, Fl. 33040
305.292.7010
cards
to do
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Ajo
was born June of 1991.
Started
his career on October 1994.
Retired
from Patrol work November 1998.
Retired
from Narcotics work December of 1999.
Laid
to rest June 2003.
It
was difficult losing AJO, but I am at ease knowing he is not suffering.
He suffered a beating a few years ago during the criminal apprehension
of a wanted felon. As a result he went blind in one eye and suffered periodic
seizures when overheated. I worked him strictly as a narcotics dog for
a few more years, but as he got older he went completely blind. He also
suffered from chronic reoccurring tumors. The last one was in his flanks.
That combined with his age made surgery out of the question. So when it
got to where I could see he was uncomfortable, I knew it was time. I will
work on a photo for you.
notified
by Dusty Simon
|
late
entry
In loving memory
of
K-9
SEFFE
March
14, 1992 - October 25, 2002
Partner:
Sgt. Debbie Legatzke
Palos
Hills Police Dept.
Palos
Hills, Il. 60465
"Amusing
& Amazing!"
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My
name is Sgt. Debbie Legatzke. I have been a K9 handler for 8 years. K-9
Seffe became a member of the Palos Hills Police Department on 29 November
1994. She was a duel purpose Police Dog, certified in Patrol and Narcotics.
Her service spanned over an eight -year period during which time she had
handled over 140 job assignments and participated in over 130 canine demonstrations.
She assisted 23 separate agencies. Seffe was the DARE (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education) dog in the local schools since 1998. She will be
most remembered for her friendly demeanor and personality.
She
was a 3 time award winner through the United States Police Canine Association.
She won one award for Criminal Apprehension and two awards for Narcotics
Detection.
In
February of 2002, Seffe was stricken with cancer of the spleen. The cancer
was removed, and she received 15 weeks of chemotherapy. Seffe’s character
and will to live was so strong, she was able to work during the chemotherapy
(ironically, she won her last Narcotics award during this period). Seffe
retired on 1 August 2002. She was in remission for 8 months when the cancer
returned. Seffe died peacefully at home, in her partners’ arms at 7:15
AM on 25 October 2002. To quote Chief Paul Madigan, “Every officer has
praised Seffe at one time or another for something she has done, whether
it was something amusing or something amazing. We will all remember her
fondly.”
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