Beloved Berks K-9 Jynx dies
Cancer claims late deputy sheriff’s courageous partner
By all accounts, K-9 Jynx and his handler, Berks County Deputy Sheriff Kyle Pagerly, had a great partnership.
Jynx was with Pagerly the night of June 29, 2011, when the deputy was fatally shot in the line of duty.
The dog tried to save the mortally wounded officer and likely saved the lives of other officers that night.
Long lauded as a hero, Jynx died Saturday, Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht announced on the sheriff office’s Facebook page.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of K-9 Jynx ... ,” Weaknecht wrote. “Jynx, who had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in late June of last year, was not even expected to make it till Christmas.”
Trained to detect explosives and track people, Jynx had been working with Pagerly since the sheriff’s department’s K-9 unit was formed in 2009. Their bond was so strong, the dog was retired after the fatal shooting.
In the years that followed, the German shepherd became a community icon and family pet, living in Sinking Spring with Pagerly’s widow, Alecia; her husband, Chad Eberly; and daughters Savannah, 7, and Makenzie, 3.
Pagerly’s daughter, Savannah, was born six months after the shooting.
Jynx, 12, underwent treatment with chemotherapy last year to prolong his life.
“Members of the Berks County Sheriff K-9 Division and Reading Police K-9 handlers were present Jynx with Berks County Deputy Sheriff Kyle D. Pagerly shortly before Pagerly was killed in the line of duty June 29, 2011. this afternoon to pay their respects to our Hero, K-9 Jynx,” Weaknecht wrote Saturday afternoon. “Please keep Alecia, Savannah, and the entire family in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve the loss of Jynx.”