Memorials to Fallen K-9s 
 2011-V

The F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of memorial cards to all partners 
 I need your help to inform me of such losses.

Dept. addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers. See below
In Loving Memory of
K9 VIC
 October 12, 2011

Handler: Officer Bobby Muguerza
 Arlington Police Department
620 W Division St.
P.O. Box 1065
Arlington, TX 76004-10

The Arlington Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its K9 colleagues. Vic, a Dutch Shepherd, was put to sleep last week
because he had become too ill with cancer. Vic served the department for six years and was the first K9 to die while still
 in service. Officer Bobby Muguerza had worked with Vic since he joined the department in 2005. "K9s live and work with
 their handlers, becoming members of the officers' families in addition to the police family," said APD spokesperson
Tiara Ellis Richard. After the loss of Vic, there are two other dogs in the department's K9 unit.
Training police dogs is time-consuming and extremely expensive. The Police Foundation - Arlington, TX
has established a fund to help with this cost.
You can send a donation to:
The Police Foundation -
P.O. Box 2318
 Arlington, TX
 

In Loving Memory of
K9 VIPER

July 16, 2011
  
Handler: Deputy Jared Zellar 
Brunswick County Sheriff's Office
70 Stamp Act Drive
Bolivia, NC 28422-8320
(910) 253-2777
 
K9 officer killed in line of duty
K9 Cop Viper from the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office has been killed in the line of duty. The sheriff's office
 reports that K9 partner Viper died Saturday night on a drug search. Viper's K9 handler was Deputy Jared Zeller.
The Sheriff's Office posted  "We will update any information ref the case, THANK YOU all for the support and kind words,
Deputy Zellar is doing OK, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers." 
MORE:
Memorial service planned for Brunswick K-9
Deputies with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office lost an admirable K-9 companion this weekend. According to the
sheriff's office, the Drug Enforcement Unit was investigating subjects in the Ash area. K-9 Viper and his handler,
 Deputy Jared Zeller, were brought in to search for a large amount of cocaine.  After locating the drugs, Viper was
 exposed to dangerous chemicals that led to a severe reaction. The handler took Viper to an emergency veterinarian
 hospital in Southport, but Viper was pronounced dead early Sunday morning. A memorial service will be held Tuesday
 morning in Viper's tribute at 11:00 at the sheriff's office. 
up date July 20, 2011
 BOLIVIA, N.C. -- A drug dog who died after he bit into a package of cocaine has been remembered at a memorial
 service at the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office.  About 200 county employees, deputies and other law enforcement
officers came to the service Tuesday to remember the dog named Viper. 
Authorities say Viper was off his leash chasing two drug suspects this past weekend when he found a package of
cocaine and bit and shook it, ingesting a fatal amount of the drug. The dog likely bit into the package because
of the odor given off by the sweat of the running suspects.  
U.S. Police Canine Association Executive Director Russ Hess says police dogs and their handlers get very close
because they spend so much time together. submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

In Loving Memory of
K9 VINNI
April 20, 2011
 
Handlers:  (Many)  Chief Roy Brunson
Tunnel Hill Police Department
201 G Vaughn Pkwy
Tunnel Hill, GA
Phone: (706) 673-5535  -  Fax: (706) 673-6434

Tunnel Hill police mourn Vinni

Charles Oliver charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com

Vinni, the Tunnel Hill Police Department’s drug-detecting dog, had been with the department less than a year.
But Chief Roy Brunson credits him with helping find some $800,000 worth of drugs and getting them off the street.
“When he came to work, he really came to work,” Brunson said.

K9 Vinni, a Belgian Malinois, died over the weekend after being struck by a vehicle. Brunson said high winds Friday night blew
 the dog’s kennel off its concrete pad, allowing Vinni to escape and head to a nearby road. By the time officers found
him the next morning he was dead.  Brunson said the loss has affected everyone at the department.
“We are just beside ourselves,” Brunson said. “To us, he wasn’t just a dog. He was an officer.”
Brunson said Vinni was a “community asset.”
“He visited local schools. He has been on loan to a number of agencies. The Dalton Police Department has used him.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office has used him. The FBI has used him, and the Department of Homeland Security
 has used him,” Brunson said. “The last thing he did, on Thursday, he visited with a bunch of kids and had pictures
taken with them.”  Brunson said the department has begun looking for a new dog.
“We are already checking with two or three kennels about prices and making preparations to send our officer
to school and begin the training process again,” he said.
MORE

Tunnel Hill Police Dog Dies

Tunnel Hill police officers are mourning the death of one of their own.

That's because, over the weekend, someone hit their dog, Vinni, with a car. The drug-detecting Belgian Malinois worked for
the force for a year. Police Chief Roy Brunson says Vinni helped them track down more than $800,000 worth of drugs.
Vinni was two years old. And officers who worked with him say he meant a lot to them and the entire community.
"He had done so many good things, visiting schools. Kindergarten kids just loved him. He was very playful and they
would pet him, take pictures with him," Brunson says.
The police department is looking for another dog. But they say their love and appreciation for Vinni will never be
replaced. Coming up on NewsChannel 9 at 6, you'll see video of Vinni in action and hear from the department
on how they're coping with his loss.

Marissa Mitchell   -  submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA