This just might bring a tear to your eye…
An emotional farewell: Police officers salute K-9 as he goes on his ‘final journey’
A Massachusetts police dog got a official send off as over a dozen officers saluted the hound on his way to be put down.
Kaiser, a two and a half year old German Shepard, was a member of the Plymouth, Massachusetts police department.
The dog was laid to rest after a brief battle with kidney disease by handler Ptl. Jamie Lebretton, who lead the K-9 through a gauntlet of officers paying tribute to the crime fighting canine.
Fellow Massachusetts police officers pay tribute to Kaiser, a German Shepard in the K-9 unit suffering from kidney disease, as he is walks into the pet hospital to be put down.
In a heart-breaking Facebook post on the Plymouth Police Working Dog Foundation’s page Officer Lebretton wrote, ‘It is with deep regret and sorrow that I announce the retirement of my partner K-9 Kaiser. Kaiser was recently diagnosed with severe kidney disease/failure … [He] battled this disease with vigor and toughness like I have never seen before.’
Lebretton explained that after the diagnosis, Kaiser’s health suffered from rapid decline, forcing his handler to make the ‘heart wrenching’ decision to put him down.
News of the touching send off soon went viral after a photo of a sad-looking Kaiser being led into the animal hospital flanked by over a dozen police officers was posted to Reddit.
Kaiser, a German Shepard, was taken in to the Plymouth, Massachusetts K-9 unit at five-months old. He was put to sleep only two years later following a battle with kidney disease
Kaiser joined the Plymouth police force in March 2011 after a local family volunteered to donate the five month old pup to the department.
‘I ventured to their house and was greeted by a 5 month old German Sheperd who was more concerned with standing his ground and protecting their beautiful 2 children then allowing us … to greet him,’ a fellow K-9 handler recounted on the social media site.
Once he was adopted into the police department, Kaiser immediately formed a connection with Officer Lebretton, who at the time was still in K-9 Patrol Academy.
Kaiser and his K-9 handler Officer Jamie LeBretton pose for the camera. LeBretton gave an emotional eulogy about his fallen partner on Facebook, after he was forced to put the suffering dog down
The dog went on to have an accomplished career, leaving behind tales of his ‘legendary finds and the countless ass kicking of bad guys,’ the unnamed handler wrote.
After the funeral Lebretton thanked the officers for their expressions of sympathy.
‘Never in my career have I ever been so proud,’ he said, ‘You out did yourselves today. I could not have asked for a better send off.’
Seen here with his K-9 unit handlers, Kaiser, the Massachusetts police dog who recently died of kidney failure, trains to attack a criminal.
Despite the dog’s short time on the force Lebretton testified to the pup’s love for the job.
Praising the K-9 he wrote, ‘Kaiser taught me more about myself and my profession than I could have ever taught him. I feel privileged to have had a front row seat to witness his bravery and heroic actions.’
Dozens of officers line up outside of the pet cemetery to pay tribute to Kaiser, a police dog who was put down following his battle with kidney failure.
In a final eulogy on the social media site Lebretton spoke directly to his fallen furry partner writing,
‘RIP my boy. I could not have asked for a better partner or friend … You made me a better person, a better handler, and a better cop. Till we meet again Kai. I love you and will miss you daily.’
