A canine officer’s watch comes to an end

impressed with his agility.”

Aside from speed and agility, Karo had a unique affinity for targeting legs, a skill that would be shown off at school demonstrations.

“If you were in the bite suit, Steve would send you running 20, 30 yards ahead and send Karo,” Niswonger said. “He would hit you at the legs and you would go rolling. The kids would think it’s funny.”

Karo was more than just a coworker, he was part of the family, Traynor said. Karo would spend the work day chasing down suspects and would go home and be gentle with Traynor’s children. And though Karo assisted Traynor in some dangerous situations, he was never injured on the job.

“You spend more time with your canine partner than with your own family,” Traynor said. “Ultimately they’re first a tool for law enforcement and we’ve got to walk a fine line. You’re sending your best friend into harm’s way, but you’re doing that to save a brother or sister in blue.”

Since Karo’s retirement, Traynor transitioned to a new canine partner, Iko, who was shot in the eye in 2016 when pulling a suspect out of the bushes who had been shooting at police. Karo was not a fan of Iko.

“The joke is he didn’t like him because Iko took his job,” Traynor said.

Perhaps more impressive than a police dog’s skills in a dangerous situation is its ability to change gears between work and home.

“These dogs are alpha dogs,” Karo, a Belgian Malinois police dog, is seen inside a Sutter County Sheriff’s Office vehicle while in his youth.

Niswonger said. “One day they’re chasing a suspect, and the next day you have them at kindergarten class with kids crawling on them and pulling their ears, and they just sit there.”

Although Traynor has Iko by his side at work, he said he and his family miss Karo, who grew up with his kids in the decade he had him.

“I’d like him to be remembered as a family member and a friend before anything else,” Traynor said.

In an emotional video recorded by Traynor’s wife just before Karo’s passing, a Sutter County dispatcher is heard signaling Karo’s final call.

“Thank you for your years of service for Sutter County. May you rest in peace,” the dispatcher said. “We have the watch from here.”

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