10\/8\/15
\nHandler – Officer George Mendez<\/p>\n
Santa Monica Police Department K-9, Pavo Dies<\/p>\n
The Santa Monica Police Department is mourning the loss of police K-9 Pavo who died on Thursday, October 8. The canine was a seven year veteran of the force. Pavo passed away after suffering complications from a medical condition. He was a cross-trained, Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands, who worked alongside his partner-handler, Officer George Mendez as a narcotics detection and patrol K-9. \u201cPavo was a loyal partner and family to all of us,\u201d remarked Sergeant Roberto Villegas who heads the K-9 Unit. \u201cOur hearts go out to Officer Mendez and his family.\u201d Department canines go home with their partners at the end of their shifts and become part of their partner\u2019s family. According to a press release from the SMPD, any K-9 that works for the department routinely put their lives on the line to protect those who are sworn to protect. Pavo died while at the home in the care of Officer Mendez and the treating veterinarian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
10\/8\/15 Handler – Officer George Mendez Santa Monica Police Department K-9, Pavo Dies The Santa Monica Police Department is mourning the loss of police K-9 Pavo who died on Thursday, October 8. The canine was a seven year veteran of the force. Pavo passed away after suffering complications from a medical condition. He was a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-mi"],"yoast_head":"\n