Died – 10\/12\/18
\nHandler – Deputy Sheriff Chris Erion<\/p>\n
Police Dog Dies of Cancer At Cornell\u2019s Companion Animal Hospital<\/p>\n
The Genesee County Sheriff\u2019s Office bid farewell to one of its own on Friday when Officer K-9 Destro, an eight year old German Shepherd, died after a short battle with cancer at the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital. Destro had been with the Sheriff\u2019s Office since August 2013 and worked up until the Sunday before his death. The next day, he became ill and was diagnosed with a systemic cancer after he began to bleed internally following a spleen removal. Destro worked alongside Deputy Sheriff Chris Erion, who remembered his four-legged partner as \u201ca public servant\u201d in an email to The Sun. Erion also applauded the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital for their work in trying to save Destro in his last few days. \u201cI could not have been more confident in the staff and students at the Cornell ER from the moment I walked through those doors the first time,\u201d Erion said. \u201cI knew it was the best place for Destro. If there was a good outcome for Destro I knew it would be found in Ithaca, it just wasn\u2019t meant to be.\u201d Erion said watching the staff and students professional and caring treatment of Destro led him to offer Destro\u2019s body for learning if he did not make it. \u201cI mentioned to one of the doctors that if he didn\u2019t make it, and if they could get some use, I would like them to utilize his body for learning,\u201d Erion said.Following his passing, Destro\u2019s body was made available for studying and learning for Cornell veterinary students. While he doesn\u2019t know how Destro\u2019s body will be used, Erion said he has \u201cno doubt it is useful, productive for learning, and done with respect and humanity.\u201d Once the Cornell veterinary students are finished with the body, Destro will return to the Erion family home to be cremated and buried. Erion described Destro\u2019s life, like his death, as both \u201cfast and furious.\u201d \u201cDestro was an awesome ambassador for the Sheriff\u2019s Office,\u201d Erion wrote. \u201cThe public loved him, and we took on community service requests at every practical opportunity. He was very social with people and I think loved it more than the public did.\u201d Despite his friendly and social presence, Destro could turn fierce when on a mission, according to Erion. \u201cDestro was always friendly and fun, but he could switch gears in a moment to be the full-on predator that he was trained to be,\u201d Erion said. \u201cHis favorite task, by far, was locating people.\u201d Destro was trained to locate narcotics, evidence and articles, as well as either apprehend a subject or protect an individual. In 2018, Destro found three people on a mini crime spree, a suspect following a vehicle pursuit and crash and a man who had broken into a home and beat, stabbed and robbed the elderly. According to Erion, \u201ca lot of the criminals he found would likely have gone unidentified otherwise.\u201d A GoFundMe has been created to help the Sheriff\u2019s Office with the expenses of a new K9 Unit. All funds will go directly to the feeding, care and veterinary bills for the dogs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 10\/12\/18 Handler – Deputy Sheriff Chris Erion Police Dog Dies of Cancer At Cornell\u2019s Companion Animal Hospital The Genesee County Sheriff\u2019s Office bid farewell to one of its own on Friday when Officer K-9 Destro, an eight year old German Shepherd, died after a short battle with cancer at the Cornell University Companion …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[64],"class_list":["post-5917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ny"],"yoast_head":"\n