LIVING WITH NEWFOUNDLAND DOGS
see more: Police Officers Give a Touching Tribute to a Devoted K-9 Officer with an Emotional Goodbye, Demonstrating the Deep Connection Between Humans and Dogs.
K-9 Officer Hunter served the Middletown Police Department in Connecticut for a decade before he was diagnosed with cancer, a diagnosis he shared with his partner Michael D’Aresta and their colleagues.
And on his last day on Earth, they wanted him to know just how much they cherished him.
During his tenure on the force, Hunter risked his life every day to keep the community safe. His dedicated service to the force came to a heartbreaking end recently after his health took a sudden downturn:
“K-9 Hunter has been unwell for the past several days and when tests were conducted they discovered that K9 Hunter has a very aggressive form of liver cancer. They sadly recommended that he be euthanized,” wrote Middletown K-9 supervisor Sgt. Doug Clark online.
The diagnosis was particularly difficult for D’Aresta, who had to make the painful decision to put his companion to sleep, but he was not alone in his sorrow. Surrounded by their fellow officers outside the veterinary office on that tragic day, D’Aresta held Hunter in his arms as he received one final salute from those he had served so faithfully alongside.
“Officer D’Aresta and Hunter have been an incredible team serving the City of Middletown at a high level since 2007,” Clark wrote. “So as you can imagine, this is really stressful for Mike and his family.”
Middletown is home to a population of just under 50,000, but thanks to the touching way the police department said goodbye to K-9 Hunter, his legacy is now known by many more people across the country and the world — and that’s a legacy that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
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