Beloved K-9 officer dies from cancer
The retired police dog is euthanized when his condition becomes uncurable.
The City of Cedartown passed along sad news late in the week, that one of their beloved K-9 officers had to be put down following a battle with cancer.
Kai, who had long served as the canine component of a team with Sgt. Jon Zuker for the Cedartown Police, was joined in his final hours by local law officers who served alongside him during a 7 year career in Polk County.
“While gathered at the vet’s office, officers shared stories of one of the most personable police dogs they’d ever met. Kai was serious about police work, but always enjoyed a good game of fetch on the lawn outside of the department,” a release on the City of Cedartown facebook reported. “He was a fan of rubs, pats and “atta boys” and was known to be generous with his licks — especially when it came to his handler and partner, Sgt. Jon Zuker.”
Trained in tracking, suspect apprehension and narcotic alerting, Kai served with Zuker until his retirement in 2015, when the new K-9 officer “Baro” was brought onto the force.
“He was a well loved member of the Zuker family as well as the City of Cedartown family,” the post added.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome said plans were underway to officially honor their former comrade once his remains are processed and returned to Zuker, and will be announced when finalized.