Died – 9\/2\/16
\nHandler – Const. Johnny Sabatini<\/p>\n
Hamilton police dog Maverick dies four shifts before retirement <\/p>\n
The Hamilton Police Service is reeling from the death of one of its members \u2014 eight-year-old police service dog Maverick \u2014 who died tragically from unexpected medical complications just days before he was set to retire at the home of his handler. Const. Johnny Sabatini and Maverick had been working together for seven years, after the purebred German Shepherd was brought to the service from the Netherlands in 2008. \u201cHe\u2019s back in later this week but it\u2019s impacting him for sure,\u201d Const. Steve Welton said. \u201cIt\u2019s impacting all of us.\u201d Welton said Sabatini and Maverick became companions \u201cright from the start,\u201d adding the 13-year K9 unit veteran was hoping to take ownership of the dog with his family after his retirement this week. \u201cThey literally spent time from the start of the day together and when Johnny puts on his uniform or starts his truck the dog\u2019s tail starts wagging and he knows it\u2019s time to go to work,\u201d Welton said, adding that the dog past away Friday from an unspecified life-threatening health condition.\u201cHe was ready to have Maverick come home and unfortunately he suffered a medical issue and a tough decision had to be made.\u201d Sabatini and Maverick worked on a wide variety of cases together, assisting investigators in homicide investigations, bank robberies, missing persons, firearm and currency detection and with tactical units in dangerous investigations. \u201cIf the suspect needs to be apprehended and they had fled from the scene, involving weapons or whether there were serious injuries, we would use the dog in that way,\u201d Welton said. \u201cIf Johnny told Maverick to watch, the dog would watch. And I tell you, the suspects or individuals who were in situations where the dog was watching them \u2014 they weren\u2019t moving.\u201d Welton said the Hamilton police K9 unit is a \u201cvery tight group of people\u201d and the death of Maverick is not just a loss for them, but for the entire policing community. \u201cIt\u2019s like losing one of our own members when you lose a dog like this because they become really your friend and your companion,\u201d he said. \u201cMany, many people, thousands of people \u2026 are reaching out to Johnny and our K9 unit on Twitter and just basically sharing their thoughts and condolences for the loss.\u201d Police will hold a moment of recognition for Maverick, but have not confirmed if a public service will be held. People are encouraged to share photos and fond memories of Maverick through social media or pass on condolences to Sabatini. via email Welton said the show of support was heartwarming and that Sabatini would \u201cbe overwhelmed by the response.\u201d The two would often visit young patients at the McMaster Children\u2019s Hospital and Toronto\u2019s Hospital for Sick Children together when not on duty. \u201cJohnny is probably one of the most passionate people when it comes to not only the position in the K9 unit but also towards the dogs \u2014 a really caring person,\u201d Welton said. \u201cJohnny wears his heart on his sleeve and I know that he\u2019s certainly missing his friend.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 9\/2\/16 Handler – Const. Johnny Sabatini Hamilton police dog Maverick dies four shifts before retirement The Hamilton Police Service is reeling from the death of one of its members \u2014 eight-year-old police service dog Maverick \u2014 who died tragically from unexpected medical complications just days before he was set to retire at the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-2179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-canada"],"yoast_head":"\n