Died – 10\/23\/15
\nHandler – Officer Russ Allabastro<\/p>\n
Watch Ends for Brave Bridgeview Police K-9<\/p>\n
Bridgeview police are mourning the loss of beloved K-9 colleague, Gasper, who died Oct. 23 from stomach cancer. Gasper was a big, tough police dog who was always up for a job sniffing out perps and drugs, but when he finished a shift he loved nothing more than being babied by his human partner\u2019s wife. A Belgium Malinois, Gasper was born in Belgium on Christmas Day in 2004. He came to the United States via Pennsylvania, where he was picked out by his partner, Bridgeview Patrol Officer Russ Allabastro. \u201cThere were 12 other dogs barking like crazy. I walked up to Gasper\u2019s kennel and he put his head against the fencing,\u201d Allabastro said. \u201cWhen they opened up the gate he came and lay in my lap.\u201d While the Cook County Sheriff\u2019s Police K9 trainer felt that Gasper might be too quick for the older Allabastro, the two colleagues developed a deep personal and professional relationship over the nine years they worked together. \u201cThe first day I brought him home he was sitting on the couch nose to nose with my wife,\u201d the police officer said. \u201cGas\u201d as he was known around the station, was a universal K-9, trained in drug, area, building and body searches. \u201cHe did everything but bombs and cadavers,\u201d Allabastro said.During his career, K-9 Gasper assisted numerous nearby police departments and worked extensively with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI in narcotics seizures. He only bit two perps and most offenders were relieved to be arrested after Gasper put a bark and hold on them. \u201c\u201dHis bite was 40 pounds per square inch,\u201d Allabastro said. \u201cAs long as they didn\u2019t move, he\u2019d bark his head off and then would shut up as soon as I put handcuffs on them.\u201d Allabastro recalled a job in Blue Island, where Gasper found 22 kilos of black heroin hidden in a drug dealer\u2019s basement. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t come up,\u201d Gasper\u2019s partner said. \u201cI thought he found a critter but there were two boxes ready for shipment tucked into the bottom stairwell.\u201d The police K-9 also found millions of dollars in hidden drug money. After helping Blue Island police find the heroin, the dog wouldn\u2019t stay away from the refrigerator in the kitchen. When tactical officers pulled out the refrigerator, they found a Huggies diaper box filled with $350,000 in drug money. Gasper worked the afternoon shift at the Bridgeview Police Department. When out on jobs, Allabastro gave all of Gasper\u2019s commands in Czech. Gasper knew his shift ended when Allabastro started speaking to him in English. \u201cHe became a housepet,\u201d his partner said. \u201cHe had two collars, a regular collar and a corrector collar. When I put on the corrector collar and spoke to him Czech, it was like a switch.\u201d Gasper lived with the Allabastros where he became a member of the family, hanging out with his partner\u2019s 5-year-old grandson and dog buddy, J.D., loyally following his partner from room to room. \u201cWhen I took a shower, he would lay in front of the bathroom door until I came out.\u201d But it was Allabastro\u2019s wife, Terri, whom Gasper truly adored. \u201cMy wife did all the feedings and treats,\u201d his partner said. \u201cWhen we got home at night Gas wouldn\u2019t lay down until she came out and said \u2018hi\u2019 to him.\u201d In late 2014, cancer was found in Gasper\u2019s stomach. He recovered after a round treatments and continued working, but the cancer returned a few months ago. In his prime the police K-9 weighed 80 pounds but in recent weeks Gasper\u2019s weight had dropped down to 60 pounds. \u201cHe was a working police dog,\u201d said Bridgeview Police Chief William Klimek. \u201cWhenever we needed him, he was always there. He was a colleague and had a badge. He was one of us.\u201d The police chief said officers would grieve for awhile, but it\u2019s up to the mayor to decide if the police department would acquire another dog. The brave dog continued working up until the end. His last mission was assisting the Oak Lawn Police Department in a traffic stop at 87th Street and Cicero after a suspected hand-to-hand drug transaction. Officers had busted out the windows when both occupants refused to come out of the vehicle. \u201cGas hit on the door where there was a large amount of cash sitting on the passenger side floor,\u201d Allabastro said. Mere days later, Gasper\u2019s watch ended on Oct. 23. The Allabastros and Klimek accompanied Gasper to the vet and said their goodbyes. \u201cIt still hurts,\u201d Allabastro said. \u201cHe was a great dog. I have no bad memories of him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 10\/23\/15 Handler – Officer Russ Allabastro Watch Ends for Brave Bridgeview Police K-9 Bridgeview police are mourning the loss of beloved K-9 colleague, Gasper, who died Oct. 23 from stomach cancer. Gasper was a big, tough police dog who was always up for a job sniffing out perps and drugs, but when he …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-il"],"yoast_head":"\n