When people lose a pet, it is often a heart-wrenching event. But when Eddy the K9 died suddenly last week,  Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Cpl. Erin Lunford lost not only his dog, but also his longtime partner. Eddy, who was purchased by the police department in June 2001, was the second German shepherd to join the K9 unit. He and Lunford were patrol partners until last August, when Eddy was given an early retirement. "Age-wise, he would have been ready to retire pretty soon," Lunford said. "But there were other things in the department I wanted to do,  so I asked if he could retire (early)."  Lunford added, "In the last year he slowed down a lot. But we had no idea he had any problems."  Eddy died Nov. 19 after collapsing while playing fetch. "My wife threw the ball twice,  and he came back and sat down. I threw it one more time and he fell over when he got to the ball. His breathing was really bad."  Lunford rushed him to an emergency veterinary hospital in Campbell, where he died at around 10:45 p.m.  "He was my partner. He was there when I needed him," Lunford said. "He'd only complain if I didn't take him to work.  Then my wife would call and say he was tearing up the yard because he was mad at me. He lived to work."  Ironically, just hours before Eddy died, the Los Gatos Town Council agreed to let Lunford purchase him for $1. Lunford says since Eddy did not die in the line of duty, there will not be a police memorial. Instead, he and his family will mark Eddy's passing privately.
submitted by Lulu & Jim Cortina    - LG officer Erin Lunford and "Eddy" in a file photo.... (George Sakkestad/Los Gatos Weekly-Times)

Handler:  Sgt. Shannon Massey

Beloved police drug dog dies - Endy was close to retirement
Pascagoula police spent Thursday remembering one of their own. Endy, the Police Department's seven-year-old veteran K-9 officer, died Thursday, just weeks before his scheduled retirement. The Belgian Malinois dog born in Germany died unexpectedly. He'd been recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia. "Endy specialized in narcotics intervention and apprehension and excelled in both," Lt. Paul Leonard said Thursday. "Endy will be remembered by many schoolchildren from his trips to area schools and the demonstration of his abilities. All that had the pleasure to work with him will miss him." The police department used a $7,000 donation from resident Bob Green, owner of PEMCO Naval Engineering Works in Pascagoula, to buy the beloved police dog. Over the years, Endy and his handler, Sgt. Shannon Massey, went on drug searches, working with the Pascagoula Police Department as well as other South Mississippi law enforcement agencies to seize illegal narcotics and catch suspected criminals. Endy and Massey have been credited over the years with making numerous drug seizures and suspect apprehensions. Massey was at home with his family Thursday and not available for comment. Leonard spoke on Massey's behalf, saying, "Endy was an integral part of his (Massey's) family, and he'll be missed at their home." Endy was brought to the United States as a puppy. He was purchased in Laurel and later trained in police K-9 work at a training center in Hattiesburg. Local businesses paid the costs to train Endy. "We'll miss him," said Leonard. submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

 Police dog dies during pursuit of wanted man In THE LINE OF DUTY:
Police dog Enzo was reportedly drowned after pursuing a man through dense bush in the Bay of Plenty.
Police are tonight hunting a man after a Bay of Plenty police dog died while chasing the man into bush. The death of three-year-old Enzo came two weeks after Cane, one of the country's top police dogs, suffered a savage knife attack near Rotorua. Cane has since been retired. Today's death came after police tried to arrest a man wanted on a warrant for a family violence offence. Enzo's handler, his family and work colleagues were distraught over the death, Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Mike Clement said. Mr Clement said police went to an address on State Highway 29, 20km south of Tauranga, about 9.30am to try to find the wanted man. "As they arrived at the address he ran into nearby bush and the police dog team was then called to assist. "The dog tracked the offender for 5-6km across rural land in places through dense bush and eventually, the offender was sighted."  Police challenged the man to stop but he ran into nearby bush pursued by the police dog. "A short time later the handler located his dog dead," Mr Clement said. "Enzo was carried from the bush by his handler over several hundred metres to the nearest vehicle access." Police have not said how the dog died but TV One reported that it drowned. Police took a man into custody at about 5.30 pm. "Enzo, who has been an operational police dog for 18 months in Tauranga, was considered to be an outstanding police dog and naturally his handler, family and work colleagues are distraught about the tragic death," Mr Clement said. Enzo was the 22nd police dog to have been killed on duty in the past 34 years, he said. The Police Department operates 110 general purpose dog teams throughout the country. A 20-year-old man will appear in Tauranga District Court tomorrow, police said. 
follow up:
Police dog's killer convicted  12/19/07   New Zealand
Police dog Enzo's killer was convicted today, to the delight of the dog's former handler and family. Tairyn Murphy, a 27-year-old labourer, was convicted in Tauranga District Court of killing the police dog without lawful excuse, an offence punishable by up to two years' jail. Murphy was remanded in custody to be sentenced on January 15. Enzo died on August 9 when police went to a Bay of Plenty property looking for Murphy who was wanted for family violence offences. Murphy was tracked by Enzo and his handler Constable Kayne Cording for a considerable distance before Enzo was released when they were close to Murphy. "However, Enzo - who caught him - was drowned by Murphy before Constable Cording could intervene," Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Mike Clement said today. Murphy maintained he had punched Enzo in self defence but this explanation was not accepted at the time or by the court, Mr Clement said. "Constable Cording and his family were devastated at the time when they lost Enzo - a family member and mate.   "Constable Cording, who gave evidence during the hearing, was joined in court by members of his family, including his wife, and were naturally thrilled with the result." Mr Clement said Mr Cording had been busy since Enzo's death, working with a replacement dog and training a puppy. Enzo was honoured at a service to remember deceased police officers, held at the Royal New Zealand Police College in September. He was the 22nd police dog killed on duty in the past 34 years.
UPDATE: 2008
Man jailed for killing police dog  1/14/08  New Zealand
LIFE CUT SHORT: Police dog Enzo who was killed while on duty. 
Tairyn Murphy, 27, a Welcome Bay labourer, was also sentenced to one month in prison for resisting police, a term he will serve concurrently. Judge Christopher Harding said the deliberate drowning of three year old Enzo during a large manhunt in the lower Kaimai Ranges last August had had a significant effect not only on the dog's handler, but on his wife and young children as well as on Western Bay of Plenty police members. Handler Kayne Cording was given permission to read his victim impact report aloud in court. As he told of the "exceptional" young police dog, Murphy repeatedly looked and grinned at his partner and son seated in the public gallery.On entering the dock he had pushed back a long sleeve to reveal a bandaged lower arm. Constable Cording said all the time and effort he had put into training Enzo had been wasted by Murphy's actions. He was now training a new dog which required him to spend two months away from his family. After Enzo's death the constable said he had been removed from the armed offenders squad at a loss of about $9000 a year in income. The killing of Enzo had been "unnecessary, senseless and deliberate" and had caused him much soul searching about whether to take on another dog. Murphy's lawyer Nicholas Dutch said his client was remorseful and felt very badly about the dog dying. The offence was out of character for a man with no significant history of violent behaviour. Enzo had bitten the fleeing Murphy on both wrists and an ankle but he did not set out deliberately to kill the dog, Mr Dutch said. Before  handing down sentence, Judge Harding summed up the events leading to the death. Police had visited an address in the lower Kaimais on August 9 last year to talk to Murphy about outstanding warrants. He jumped out a window and fled into the bush. Enzo and his handler were brought in for what turned out to be an extensive search by a large number of police officers over several hours. Constable Cording 
lost sight of Enzo in dense bush after releasing him on the fugitive's heels. The dog's body was found two hours later submerged in a stream and wedged under a rock. Judge Harding said Murphy's explanation that he punched the dog twice and it fell, dazed, was completely inconsistent with a veterinary pathologist's findings that Enzo died from drowning. Murphy and his partner called "love you" to each other as he was led from the crowded courtroom to the cells after sentencing.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA