Handler \u2013 officer Brennan Bulgar<\/p>\n
The Bristol County Sheriff\u2019s Office bid a sad goodbye last week to a beloved colleague: Thirteen-year-old K9 Officer Axel. The German Shepherd, who served in the department for about eight years, was given a hero\u2019s farewell.\u00a0A wake was held Monday at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital in Dartmouth followed by a \u201clast ride\u2019\u2019 Tuesday to Angel View Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Middleboro.\u00a0Axel was accompanied to the facility by police vehicles from the police departments of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Raynham, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea and Taunton as well as representatives from the Massachusetts Environmental Police, Massachusetts State Police, New Bedford Animal Control, and Norfolk and Plymouth county sheriff\u2019s offices.\u00a0Axel\u2019s cremated remains were returned later in the week to his owner and partner, Sheriff\u2019s Office K9 officer Brennan Bulgar. The tribute was well-earned, said Capt. Paul Douglas, who oversees the canine division of the sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThis is what they deserve,\u2019\u2019 Douglas said. \u201cOur dogs are special, they put their lives on the line. They\u2019re officers on four legs.\u2019\u2019\u00a0For Bulgar, the show of support brought comfort during a painful time.\u00a0\u201cI cry in the morning, I cry in the afternoon, I cry at night,\u2019\u2019 he said. He described Axel as his \u201cpartner and best friend.\u2019\u2019 Axel began training with Bulgar when the dog was two years old.\u00a0\u201cWe bonded that first day,\u2019\u2019 the officer said.\u00a0Douglas quickly recognized the connection.\u00a0They shared an \u201cunconditional love,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cAnything Brennan asked him to do, he did. They were a great team.\u2019\u2019 Axel had an ideal temperament for a police dog, Douglas said. The captain noted that Axel was professional and hard-working during work shifts, then playful and relaxed off-hours. Through the years, the bond deepened as the two worked together. Axel could sniff out narcotics and search for missing people. One of his most successful cases happened right before his retirement, during a search of a business in Bristol, R.I. Axel found a \u201cmother lode\u2019\u2019 of narcotics, Douglas said, including \u201ctons\u2019\u2019 of cocaine and marijuana. \u201cIt was like a pharmacy,\u2019\u2019 he said. But it was hardly his only success, Douglas said \u201che had a lot of finds.\u201d Axel was retired\u00a0by the division at about 10 years old, in July 2019, as is typical of sheriff\u2019s office K9s, Douglas said. He went to live full-time with Bulgar and his family. But in the last few weeks, Axel was not himself. He barely picked up his head to greet the family, a time when he normally would be jumping around and enthusiastic, Bulgar said. A trip to Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital brought the news every pet owner dreads: Axel had cancer and the disease was spreading. \u201cThere was nothing else\u2019\u2019 to do for him, Douglas said.\u00a0\u201cHe was so weak,\u2019\u2019 Bulgar said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to see him suffer.\u2019\u2019 So Axel was euthanized with his beloved handler and his colleagues from the K9 division by his side for support. \u201cAxel was loved by everyone,\u2019\u2019 Bulgar said. \u201cIt was very, very important to have everyone come together\u2019\u2019 at that painful moment. \u201cThis is the worst part of being a K9 officer,\u2019\u2019 Douglas said. Bulgar works with a new canine partner now, Eros, who is 2 \u00bd. But Axel will always hold a special place in his heart, he said. \u201cI go home expecting he will be there,\u2019\u2019 he said.\u00a0 Bulgar is grateful that the law enforcement community has rallied around him and Axel. \u201cHe was my best friend, and was a friend to all,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Handler \u2013 officer Brennan Bulgar The Bristol County Sheriff\u2019s Office bid a sad goodbye last week to a beloved colleague: Thirteen-year-old K9 Officer Axel. The German Shepherd, who served in the department for about eight years, was given a hero\u2019s farewell.\u00a0A wake was held Monday at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital in Dartmouth followed by a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-11544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ma"],"yoast_head":"\n