By Police1 Staff
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An 11-year-old K-9 was surrounded by his fellow officers as he was put down Friday.
K-9 Hunter, an 8-year veteran, was escorted by officers to the animal hospital where he died, according to SILive.com.
Hunter served with the K-9 Unit from 2006 to 2014 in patrol, evidence collection, firearm detection and recovery and suspect apprehension.
He was deployed to Haiti in 2010 with the Federal Emergency Management Agency search and rescue after the earthquake, a spokesman said.
In the latter part of his life, Hunter suffered from hip dysplasia and other ailments and the pain became too much, NY Daily News reported.
“He was probably one of the best K-9s that a K-9 handler could ask for,” Detective Chris Bonomo told the Daily News. “He was kind and gentle, but yet when the bell rang, it was time. He did his job. He could just be a dog. Playing ball out in the field, and then going out and getting called for a job.”
Hunter would have turned 12 on Jan. 23.