Memorial service for K-9 Officer Zack slated for Nov. 10

Perry Village will hold a memorial service Nov. 10 for K-9 Officer Zack, who died unexpectedly Oct. 31 while exercising with his partner.

The event will take place at 9 a.m. in front of Perry Village Hall, 3758 Center Road, according to an announcement posted Nov. 6 on the village’s website.

Mayor James Gessic and Police Chief Troy Hager will preside over the ceremony. Gessic will present a proclamation in honor of Zack, who served for nearly 1 1/2 years with the village

Police Department.

In addition, the Perry Police Patrol Officers Benevolent Association will unveil a memorial marker that will be placed at the base of the flagpole in front of Village Hall.

The public is welcome to attend the ceremony, and police are not required to wear dress uniforms, Perry Village stated.

An outpouring of sympathies, prayers and gratitude filled the Perry Village Facebook page after it was announced on the evening of Oct. 31 that K-9 Officer Zack had passed

away.

Zack, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, and his partner, Lt. Michael Collins, had gone to Lee Lydic Park in the village at about 4 p.m. prior to a scheduled visit to a day care center, Police Chief Troy Hager previously said.

To help Zack release some pent-up energy before his guest appearance, Collins had taken him to the park and was tossing a tennis ball, which Zack would run after and retrieve, Hager said.

After retrieving the tennis ball for about the fifth or sixth time, Zack laid down and then became unresponsive. He was rushed to North Ridge Veterinary Hospital in Madison Township,

where he was pronounced dead.

Zack began patrolling with Collins in June 2017. In addition to working daily shifts with the lieutenant, Zack assisted on calls with other area police departments, and appeared at many community events.

Following his death, the K-9’s body was transported to Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center for a necropsy — the animal version of an autopsy.

Hager said on Nov. 7 that he has yet to receive any preliminary information on the cause of Zack’s death. It might take as long as 30 days before a final report on the necropsy is received, he previously said.