Died 8\/14\/15
\nHandler – Patrol Sgt. Andy Thoms<\/p>\n
Sheriff\u2019s office mourns loss of police dog Viper <\/p>\n
The Pierce County Sheriff\u2019s Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. The department announced last week that Viper, the K\u00ac9 partner of Sgt. Andy Thoms, died on Friday. A statement released Saturday by the department said Viper \u201cwill be missed immensely.\u201d \u201cOur department has suffered a significant loss,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThere are no words that can adequately express our gratitude and deep appreciation for Viper\u2019s dedication to his role with (the) Pierce County Sheriff\u2019s Department as well as his service over the last three years.\u201d Sheriff Nancy Hove said the German shepherd died during complications from intestinal surgery. Viper passed away at the side of his handler, Patrol Sgt. Andy Thoms, on August 14, after complications from a surgery he had on August 6. Viper had an enlarged spleen and twisted intestines, but ultimately passed away from an infection. Viper first took to the streets of Pierce County in 2012 with Thoms after they graduated from a K\u00ac9 training program in Blaine, Minn. Chief Deputy Jason Matthys noted that in addition to their service, police dogs become a part of their handler\u2019s families, too. \u201cHe served the citizens of Pierce County with pride and was always by my side,\u201d said Thoms, who participated in selecting Viper after being named to the K\u00ac9 unit.According to a sheriff\u2019s department news release, Viper was certified in K\u00ac9 trials during all three years of his service. Viper joined the Pierce County Sheriff Department in June of 2012. Sgt. Thoms was selected to serve as the new K9 handler, and both were trained and certified together. Viper was involved in several missing persons searches and \u201chad a vital role in numerous narcotic cases,\u201d according to the department. \u201cK\u00ac9s have been proven to be crucial in today\u2019s policing,\u201d Matthys said. \u201cFrom community education, aiding in the locating of missing persons, to the apprehension of dangerous criminals, these trained service dogs are an asset to law enforcement officers as well as the public they protect.\u201d Plans for a successor K\u00ac9 have not yet been begun \u201cdue to the sudden loss,\u201d according to the department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 8\/14\/15 Handler – Patrol Sgt. Andy Thoms Sheriff\u2019s office mourns loss of police dog Viper The Pierce County Sheriff\u2019s Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. The department announced last week that Viper, the K\u00ac9 partner of Sgt. Andy Thoms, died on Friday. A statement released Saturday by the department said …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wi"],"yoast_head":"\n