Died – 12\/5\/15
\nHandler – Officer Julie Bailey<\/p>\n
K9 Cir dies at age 11<\/p>\n
Vacaville Police Officer Julie Bailey remembers the first time she met her partner, K-9 Officer Cir. He leaned against her leg and looked up at her lovingly. \u201cI thought it was a sign,\u201d she said. Later on, she would discover that Cir gave everyone that look, she said. And soon enough, people all over Vacaville fell for him too. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t help but love him,\u201d she said, thinking of the countless school demonstrations and appearances the two made at the annual Merriment on Main holiday event. \u201cHe was a deeply-rooted part of our community.\u201d Like all of the dogs in Vacaville\u2019s K-9 unit, Cir \u2014 a pure-bred German Shepherd \u2014 was purchased and trained for the police department thanks to private donations from citizens and businesses. \u201cHe really was the city\u2019s dog,\u201d she said of Cir, who passed away Dec. 5. \u201cI\u2019m just so grateful,\u201d she said, fighting back tears. Along with putting on public events, Cir did countless searches for criminals and drugs, Bailey said. One time the pair were out looking for several men who they heard had fled on foot behind some houses. Bailey walked up the driveway in the front of the house and prepared to go around back with Cir. Without being prompted, Cir began barking and clawing at a truck next to them that had a camper top on it. Bailey was shocked to find the suspect had hidden right next to them.\u201cHe could smell the guy\u2019s fear,\u201d she laughed. Cir retired from the police department in 2013 when he started to slow down a bit, she said. When Cir was with her, Bailey said she never had a bad day at work. He would always perk up, whether it was time to go to work or it was time to go home. \u201cWhatever you thought was a good idea, he thought was a great idea,\u201d she said. Vacaville Police Sgt. Dave Spencer, who supervises the K-9 unit, remembers hearing Cir\u2019s giant paws thumping down the office hallway toward the desk drawer that housed his treats. \u201cHe had that big teddy-bear style about him,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cA lot of the kids and families loved Cir.\u201d He also was a great crime-fighter, Spencer said, adding that Cir had a knack for finding drugs and \u201cbad guys.\u201d And Bailey made sure he was in the public eye, he said. \u201cShe did a really good job with that,\u201d said Spencer, who was a K-9 handler alongside Bailey. \u201cThey were a really good team.\u201d There was instant chemistry between Cir and Bailey, he said. \u201cShe was a perfect match,\u201d he said. A lot of people think the K-9s are just a tool, said Bailey\u2019s husband Chuck who also is a Vacaville Police Officer. But these dogs are working side-by-side with their partners and live with them and their families, he said. \u201cYou get so attached to this \u2018tool\u2019 that it becomes a part of you,\u201d he said. Around Thanksgiving this year, Bailey and Chuck found out that Cir had pancreatic cancer. On Dec. 5, they took him to the veterinarian and put him to sleep. Even the veterinarians were big fans of Cir, Chuck said. \u201cThey were super compassionate,\u201d said Bailey, adding that they let her lie next to her dog. Cir won over the community and even some of the criminals he encountered, Bailey said. Cir was once sent out to find a man who was holding a child hostage, she said, adding that he located the man in a closet. The man ended up doing some time in prison, and apparently received Cir\u2019s Christmas card and had it hanging up in his cell, she said. When Cir retired, Bailey thought he would die of heartache when he realized he wasn\u2019t able to work anymore. But he lived happily as the family dog for another two years, she said. \u201cI feel honored to have had him for two (more) years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 12\/5\/15 Handler – Officer Julie Bailey K9 Cir dies at age 11 Vacaville Police Officer Julie Bailey remembers the first time she met her partner, K-9 Officer Cir. He leaned against her leg and looked up at her lovingly. \u201cI thought it was a sign,\u201d she said. Later on, she would discover that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ca"],"yoast_head":"\n