Died \u2013 2\/8\/23
\nHandlers – Officer Matt Feltenberger and Officer Jason Jarvie.<\/p>\n
Department of Public Safety mourns loss of K9 Zarah<\/p>\n
At the University of Utah Department of Public Safety, we know why all dogs go to heaven.With very heavy hearts, we announce the unexpected passing of our much-loved K9, Zarah, on Wednesday, February 8th after a brief illness. We send our sincere condolences to both of her trainers, Matt Feltenberger and Jason Jarvie.Though she didn\u2019t have any pedigree at all, let alone a fancy one, and she wasn\u2019t the youngest working dog at around nine years old, Zarah taught all of us about the importance of attitude and determination.Because of the intensely physical nature of searching for explosives over large areas like arenas and stadiums, dogs normally go on short deployments. \u201cZarah had the ability to be super effective through very long deployments and had a ton of stamina despite her age,\u201d said her most recent handler, Officer Jason Jarvie. \u201cWith her I learned about endurance, about what\u2019s possible with true passion for the work.\u201dZarah found an ideal partnership with Jarvie, whom she joined in the summer of 2021. He had an amazing connection with her and was able to get her to do things that no one else could.In her four years as a bomb dog for University Police, Zarah cleared venues for all major sporting events and helped local police departments on a smaller scale after bomb threats. She worked NBA games and the Iron Man World Championships in St. George. Every job was motivated solely by a tennis ball.Yet, as much as she loved to work, Zarah\u2019s playful nature could be seen in her mornings spent pouncing through and attacking the snow while Jarvie shoveled the driveway, or waiting for his oldest daughter to throw sticks for her. \u201cShe would go up to my daughter and just howl until she threw a stick. She trained my daughter like that.\u201dZarah was all in for relaxation too. \u201cShe\u2019s a boulder,\u201d said Jarvie. \u201cShe\u2019ll just lay there completely still and rest.\u201dOfficers always knew when Zarah was in the building because of her signature bark-howl. Her hound DNA was evident as she bayed repeatedly to encourage timely reward or show excitement for work or play.\u201cShe was just an awesome dog,\u201d said Patrol Lieutenant Rich Whittaker, who calls himself \u2018Zarah\u2019s favorite uncle.\u2019 \u201cShe had such a sweet temperament, loved working, loved people, was never threatening. You really couldn\u2019t ask for a better dog.\u201dRest in peace, Zarah. We hope heaven is full of tennis balls, soft beds, and all the treats you can eat. Thank you for your grit and your great love for protecting people. You were a good gal.The Department is currently working to build a four-dog team for their K9 unit. Each dog will partner with an officer with whom they will live and work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died \u2013 2\/8\/23 Handlers – Officer Matt Feltenberger and Officer Jason Jarvie. Department of Public Safety mourns loss of K9 Zarah At the University of Utah Department of Public Safety, we know why all dogs go to heaven.With very heavy hearts, we announce the unexpected passing of our much-loved K9, Zarah, on Wednesday, February 8th …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[43],"class_list":["post-13589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ut"],"yoast_head":"\n