Died – 9\/7\/16
\nHandler – Constable Stu Rota and Senior Constable Lloyd McKay<\/p>\n
Model police dog Link put to sleep<\/p>\n
One of New Zealand’s most famous police dogs and an inspiration for fluffy toys has been put to sleep. Link, a German Shepherd, once tracked an offender almost 2km down roads and back alleys, eventually finding him on the roof of Mongrel Mob headquarters in Porirua. In 2013 he came third in the national police dog championships. The canine landed a modelling contract – of sorts – the same year, when police decided to model soft toys after him. “It is not only Link’s striking features and good looks that have made him a police model, but also his ability at obedience, tracking and agility while on duty,” police said at the time. It was a tough decision putting him down on Thursday, police said. Link had health issues, which old injuries were aggravating. Link spent his working life in Wellington and Wairarapa “making numerous catches with Constable Stu Rota and Senior Constable Lloyd McKay,” Wellington District police said. The dog also featured in TV show Dog Squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 9\/7\/16 Handler – Constable Stu Rota and Senior Constable Lloyd McKay Model police dog Link put to sleep One of New Zealand’s most famous police dogs and an inspiration for fluffy toys has been put to sleep. Link, a German Shepherd, once tracked an offender almost 2km down roads and back alleys, eventually …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-2190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-new-zealand"],"yoast_head":"\n