Died – 12\/2\/20
\nHandler – Deputy Mark Bellacero<\/p>\n
Vernon County mourns death of beloved sheriff deputy K-9 Myk<\/p>\n
Vernon County Sheriff John Spears expressed sadness Wednesday in reporting the untimely death of 10-year-old K-9 Myk. \u201cWe extend our most deepest sympathy to Myk\u2019s handler, Deputy Mark Bellacero,\u201d Spears said in statement on the sheriff department\u2019s Facebook page Wednesday. A message on the Facebook page from Bellacero said, \u201cK9 Myk passed this morning, best partner and friend I could ever have hoped for. He will be forever in my heart. Rest in Peace Myk, End of Watch 12\/2\/2020.\u201d Spears will release a full statement on Thursday, according to the Facebook page. Myk, a German Shepherd Sable imported from Germany, became the department\u2019s second K-9 when he was deputized at the age of 2 in July 2012. He responded to voice commands in German and was a dual-purpose K-9, with certification in patrol work, narcotics, tracking\/searching, obedience and apprehension. Myk was the result of a community project of sorts, as many Vernon County businesses and residents donated $20,000 between September of 2011 and the spring of 2012 to the fund drive to launch the K-9 unit. Before that, when the sheriff\u2019s department needed K-9 assistance, it needed to request mutual aid from the Viroqua or Hillsboro police departments. Animal Tracks Veterinary Service near Viroqua provided veterinary care for Myk, while his food came from the Chaseburg Coop. Myk\u2019s death prompted an outpouring of sympathy on the sheriff\u2019s department Facebook page, with dozens of comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 12\/2\/20 Handler – Deputy Mark Bellacero Vernon County mourns death of beloved sheriff deputy K-9 Myk Vernon County Sheriff John Spears expressed sadness Wednesday in reporting the untimely death of 10-year-old K-9 Myk. \u201cWe extend our most deepest sympathy to Myk\u2019s handler, Deputy Mark Bellacero,\u201d Spears said in statement on the sheriff department\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-9740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-wi"],"yoast_head":"\n