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Died – 11/17/15
Handler – Officer John Dolan
Florence Police K9 dies
Retired Florence Police officer John Dolan said “Max was special. He meant the world to me,” said Dolan, of Walton. The German Shepherd partnered with Dolan in Florence, and the two went after criminals and crime scenes not just there, but throughout Northern Kentucky counties.Max, who was 11, died Tuesday, in his handler’s arms. “It amazed me how fast he went,” Dolan said Wednesday. The retired officer, Max’s partner since 2005 when Max was just a puppy, noticed his dog just didn’t look right recently and took him to the vet. That was weeks ago and when Dolan came home from work on Tuesday afternoon it looked as though Max was just waiting for him to get home. The dog wasn’t doing well. “I got him to the vet. “He passed away right there in my arms.” The tales of Max, the Shepherd from the Czech Republic, came easily for Dolan, because K9 dogs are integral to many police investigations and make other investigations simpler. “We did everything together,” Dolan said. “Catching robbery suspects, doing narcotics searches on vehicles and buildings, searching buildings for burglars. Whatever the job entailed.” He recalled once when Max captured a runaway motel robbery suspect out of a farm at night. “Max found him and dragged him out from under a tree.” Another time, when Max came up with a gun that a suspect whipped out of a car. And then there were community events where Max demonstrated his skills for Boy Scouts, schoolchildren and other Florence residents. “I couldn’t have had a better partner,” Dolan said. “I know he would’ve given his life for me.”
