Died – 3\/1\/16
\nHandler – Deputy Tim Patterson<\/p>\n
K-9 Dax crosses the Rainbow Bridge <\/p>\n
Dax, the K-9 officer who survived a 30-foot fall onto a concrete floor while in the line of duty last December, has passed away after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer. Okaloosa County Sheriff\u2019s Office Deputy Tim Patterson, who served as Dax\u2019s handler for seven years, said he and his family were heartbroken over the loss. \u201cMy wife and daughters are devastated, just like I am,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cHe was a member of the family.\u201d Dax suffered a serious leg injury on Dec. 21 while he and Patterson were investigating a possible burglary at a home in Destin. While searching the residence, Dax fell through the attic floor. He was taken to Bluewater Animal Hospital and later transferred to a veterinarian in Pensacola, where he underwent surgery. Dax spent the next six weeks recovering in a kennel.\u201cWe took him for a follow up, and the doctor said we should try kenneling him for two more weeks,\u201d Patterson recalled. \u201cAfter that, I took him out to our property where we have a little pond. He loves to swim, but I could tell that he was having trouble walking.\u201d Patterson took Dax to see a specialist at Mississippi State University on Monday. \u201cWhen they told us that he had cancer and it was inoperable, we knew what we had to do,\u201d Patterson said softly. \u201cI called Dr. Harris at Bluewater Animal Hospital and told him we\u2019d be in first thing in the morning. I can\u2019t say enough good things about the folks at the animal hospital. They are so helpful and caring.\u201d During their seven years together, Dax and Patterson had many adventures. \u201cWe tracked a lot of bad guys,\u201d Patterson said with a laugh. \u201cHe was a phenomenal tracking dog.\u201d In 2014, Dax and Paterson were recognized by the U.S. Police Canine Association for their work in assisting the Crestview Police Department during a felony search warrant. Dax was a USPCA Region I and National Champion in agility in 2012. \u201cHe was a beast in physical fitness and drive,\u201d said Patterson\u2019s wife, Lori. \u201cHe also won first place in the 2013 Region I trials. Dax and Tim were consistently in the Top 20 and better teams.\u201d Lori said Dax lived for Tim, and was always ready to go to work. \u201cHe would bark incessantly to try to hurry Tim along … as … Tim was getting ready to go on duty,\u201d Lori said. \u201cNothing would deter his attention, not even an offer of a Funyun (his favorite people snack).\u201d Sheriff Larry Ashley, himself a former canine officer, said Dax would be sorely missed by the other members of the Sheriff\u2019s Office. \u201cHe was a great dog,\u201d Ashley said. \u201cWe hate to lose any of our animal friends.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 3\/1\/16 Handler – Deputy Tim Patterson K-9 Dax crosses the Rainbow Bridge Dax, the K-9 officer who survived a 30-foot fall onto a concrete floor while in the line of duty last December, has passed away after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer. Okaloosa County Sheriff\u2019s Office Deputy Tim Patterson, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-1244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-fl"],"yoast_head":"\n