Died – 5\/15\/29
\nHandler – Sgt. Chris Alberini <\/p>\n
Retired police dog Dax has died at the age of 11 years<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very emotional,\u201d said Chief Vincent Alfano about retired police dog Dax\u2019s final ride with his handler Sgt. Chris Alberini on Friday. \u201cIt\u2019s like losing a child – they\u2019re part of the family. When the final radio call was made, there wasn\u2019t a dry eye anywhere.\u201d After retiring in February from his 11-year career at the Ashland Police Department, retired police dog Dax has died. He was 13 years old. \u201cHe took a downward turn over this past week,\u201d said Chief Vincent Anfano on Saturday. Dax died of old age, said Alfano. His condition worsened over the last week and he was having more trouble walking. His handler, Sgt. Chris Alberini, made the difficult decision to put him down to end his suffering, said Alfano. \u201cDax is a town hero – he\u2019s always been a shining star for the town and police department,\u201d he said. Ashland police announced Dax\u2019s death on Friday on their official Facebook page, followed by a video of a full police escort held in honor of Dax before he died as he took his final ride past the police station that afternoon. About 30 police departments and K-9 units throughout the state participated in the ceremony that was planned in less than a day, said Alfano. \u201cIt seemed like cruisers just kept on coming,\u201d he said describing the constant flow of flashing police cars patrolling through the town, several cheering outside their homes along with the howls of dogs. Because there were so many participants, police staged two routes for the ceremony. With his ears perked and tongue out, Dax sat in one of those police cruisers that afternoon with his handler, who had been his partner since 2009 before Dax retired in February. \u201cIt was very emotional,\u201d said Alfano, about Alberini\u2019s last ride with Dax. \u201cIt\u2019s like losing a child – they\u2019re part of the family. When the final radio call was made, there wasn\u2019t a dry eye anywhere.\u201d At around 3 p.m. on Friday, Dax died at the Ashland Animal Hospital with Alberini by his side. \u201cDax was a police officer like all of us,\u201d said Alfano. \u201cHe was always there when the department needed him.\u201d Throughout Dax\u2019s 11-year career with the department, he\u2019s had 16 \u201cviolent apprehensions,\u201d which means he bit a suspect during an arrest, and found more than 50 missing people during his career, said Alberini in a Daily News story from February. He also worked much longer than the typical police K-9, serving about five years more than what\u2019s considered average, said Alfano. \u201cRegal \u2013 I think that\u2019s the best word to describe him,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was so regal when he was standing there looking at you – nobody messed with him.\u201d Every time a call was made for Alberini and Dax\u2019s assistance, a wave of relief was felt by officers once they saw Dax gallop onto the scene, as it meant Dax could investigate a dangerous situation first before officers went in, said Alfano. \u201cThat dog saved officers\u2019 lives,\u201d he said, including his handler\u2019s. On July 2, 2013, Dax saved his handler from being shot by a man hiding in an attic with a loaded shotgun. Before Alberini found the suspect, Dax had sniffed him out and latched onto his ankle, giving Alberini time to shoot the suspect, who had pointed his gun at him. In 2014, Dax became the first canine to be awarded the George L. Hanna Memorial Award for Bravery after that incident, and in 2015 he won the American Humane Hero Dog award under the law enforcement category. He\u2019s also been featured in the 2016 Vest-a-Dog calendar, which showcases police dogs from departments across Massachusetts. Alfano said a K-9 and their handler operate as a team, and that the training required to be a handler is very intensive and physically-demanding. \u201cThey both have to be top notch, and in that fact, Ashland was very lucky,\u201d he said. \u201cOur new dog sure has big shoes to fill.\u201dThe department\u2019s new dog \u2013 Ajax \u2013 is a German shepherd from Slovakia, just like Dax. Alfano thanked the fire department for its assistance in the ceremony and for erecting an American flag high up on a fire truck ladder to honor Dax, and for the Department of Public Works\u2019 speedy assistance in placing traffic cones and barrels on the roads last minute to help with Dax\u2019s send-off. \u201cThere\u2019s this saying that goes something like, \u2018The definition of Heaven is a place where every dog you\u2019ve ever owned meets you at the pearly gates,\u2019\u201d said Alfano. \u201cThe same goes for police dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 5\/15\/29 Handler – Sgt. Chris Alberini Retired police dog Dax has died at the age of 11 years \u201cIt was very emotional,\u201d said Chief Vincent Alfano about retired police dog Dax\u2019s final ride with his handler Sgt. Chris Alberini on Friday. \u201cIt\u2019s like losing a child – they\u2019re part of the family. When …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-8468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ma"],"yoast_head":"\n