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A POLICE DOG was given a hero’s farewell by police officers in the US before being put down this week.
Judge – a 9-year-old German Shepard – had worked at West Deptford Police Department in New Jersey for 7 years.
He was deployed over 280 times in areas such as drug detection, tracking and apprehension of suspects.
He had to retire in August 2013 when his health deteriorated.
The police department have posted on its Facebook page:
It is with great sadness that the West Deptford Police Department says goodbye to K-9 Judge today. He was a valued member of the police department, and his work on the street and in the community was second to none.
“His positive impact was evident this morning, when officers and K-9 units from all around southern New Jersey came out to pay tribute to this exceptional dog.
Because of K-9 Judge’s fearless service, 152 suspects were arrested for criminal offenses, 3 motor vehicles were seized, 3 handguns were taken off of the streets, countless amounts of drugs were seized, and over $47,000 is currency were taken from people involved in illegal activity.
“He was a true asset to our department and will be forever missed. RIP Judge, gone but never forgotten!”
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This one got me. I brought my dog to be put to sleep yesterday after he suffered a stroke. I had him for 16 years, my best friend since I was 8 years old. Now I find myself listening for his paws on the wood floor or his nose on at my hand as I snooze. Dogs, the price you pay for having them, is having to let them go.
Isnt it surprising how much of a gap a family pet leaves when they are gone. We had a family dog for about the same lenght as yourself. I’ve my own house now with plenty of outdoor space, yet thinking twice about getting one.
Sorry about your dog there.
And believe me, u will hear them, for quite a while:(
Excellent book “called my dog, the paradox” on Amazon. Short but very true.
The pound is full of dogs looking for a living home,
I felt the same when I lost my dog when I was 16, it is stuff like not having them to pet when you watch TV, hearing them trot around the place, their silly crying when they are accidently closed in a room etc.
Tiarnan, sorry for your loss. Check out Julian Clary on ” room 101″ youtube and he says it all… All the best.
Sorry for your loss Tiarnan…
But if its any consolation, the 1150 (as of this post) thumbs up show that many people empathize with your plight. And you no doubt have made comments of the week.
That brought a tear to my eye. Dogs are wonderful and he deserved to get a good send off after all his hard work!
RIP Judge
That’s sad. His front leg doesn’t look good, or whatever illness he had. Maybe it was best for him to be put to sleep.
That would break your heart…
This story would bring a tear to a glass eye….
Where did I put those onion goggles…
Mary dogs love to work. Known fact!
RIP
Doggone!!
Iv got something in my eye,excuse me there a minute.
I know there are people saying “Its just a dog” but I would imagine that some people owe their lives to detection dogs like this
anyone who says ” its just a dog ” , has never had one in their lives .
RIP judge that’s woof
This is why I am a dog person. Awesome feats.
Four
he’s with holy god now….lickin his balls
Who’s balls?
Dogs are put down far too soon. If teh dog can still walk and hold a big fake arm, hes healthy enough to live, especially if hes earned some rest and care by serving the police. how cruel to put him down because some police handlers are lazy. They shed only crocodile tears .
You have no idea what the issue is, and so should not judge. It could well be cancer. The marks on his front legs are obviously from IVs or blood drawing. I am sure he has had excellent vet care. It is selfish to make a terminally ill dog hang around, with deteriorating health and, most likely, increasing pain, when it serves no purpose when death is inevitable. I was a veterinary tech/nurse for years. I would say 95% of dogs brought in for euthanizing suffered far longer than they should have before people made the decision-particularly in geriatric dogs. With younger animals, where there’s life there’s hope, but we are responsible for ensuring some modicum of a quality life while we try to save them. There are worse things than dying.
Shut up Mary. Bloody armchair veterinarian. Police dogs are among the best cared for, loved and respected in the world. I’m quite certain you don’t have the animal’s full medical history or diagnosis at your disposal and so therefore are talking from your posterior. The dog clearly had some severe underlying medical condition to merit euthanasia. Just because an animal can walk around the place doesn’t mean it is not suffering and/or in excruciating pain.
Mary, police handlers lazy? Crocodile tears? What an uniformed comment. Police dogs are some of the best cared animals out there. They are bred to work and thoroughly enjoy it as you’d know if you owned working dogs. The officers form an incredibly close bond with their dogs or ‘partners’ and trust them with their lives day in day out. It must be heartbreaking to lose their partner that they’ve had since a pup and been through so much together.
Please read this article, the dog had Cushings disease and every medical option to save him had been explored. He was a valued member of the police force and a beloved pet. Google is your friend. http://www.gloucestercountyonline.com/26-top-news/411-west-deptford-k-9-judge-given-a-hero-s-farewell
Clearly you you know nothing about dogs. Or care it seems.
Braver than most humans. R.I.P. Judge. I don’t agree with using animals by the way but run free and happy now boy.
Eh ‘using animals’?? He was a working dog.
You do know that dogs love doing this type of thing? Look at them working on youtube, their tails are wagging, their ears are back etc. They enjoy it .
The handlers love these animals to bits, look at the reaction this pooch got from the police department
Ah jasus
I guarantee you there were tears after that photo was taken…probably buckets of them. Any time a dog of ours died , there were floods of them. And if there weren’t, there was definitely a week or so of mourning where minds were preoccupied with the recent loss.
I haven’t (yet) had to make the difficult decision of having a pet put to sleep. Generally, if a creature has stopped eating, then they say it is time to make that difficult decision. But one of ours ate his food the morning of the day he died. He never lost his appetite, and he was about 18 or so when he went to his final resting place. I am sure many would have had him put to sleep before then, but my dad and mom could not make that difficult decision. He was a good friend, a great cattle dog(we lived on a farm) and a great guard dog. To put him down, my father felt, would have betrayed him for years of loyalty (and no, this is not judging other people. It was just too difficult a decision for him to make). Ultimately, the two were inseparable, one was never too far from the other (except when my dad went into hospital). About a year before my dad passed away, our dog died. A year later, my dad left this world. I remember joking about it, years and years before their passing, that the two wouldn’t lived long without the other.
I was genuinely surprised when I realised this to be true.
Cringe
Jaysus if you cringe at that story you’re a bit of a pleb
Jaysus I’d say you’re great craic and not a drysh#*te at all.
Sorry, I forgot I had to be a mad yoke to take saluting a animal seriously.
Bobs , you don’t have a clue , pathetic is too nice a word !
Feckin trolls
#deadogwalking
Clown
Could of helped the littlest hobo out being strolling around quiet a while now but at least didn’t he get smoked by a cop
In English?
that is not it michael some people don,t want their pets to suffer when they can,t be helped have you never seen a sick dog go away somewhere aND DIE BY THEMSELVES I HAVE MORE THAN ONCE IT IS A FACT
Put down an animal to save a few bucks, reminds me of this government and what they are doing to the people?
have your say