With due respect....RIP Judge!

[Vigilante]

Judge was a K9 cop from West Deptford, NJ who unfortunately had a disease that enlarged his liver and made it so that he could no longer eat. He had to be put down but on his last trip to the vet all of his fellow police officers showed up to salute him and pay their respects.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Police Salute Retired K-9 Officer On His Final Journey To Animal Hospital

The Huffington Post | By Ryan Grenoble

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...g-west-deptford-judge-put-down_n_6739428.html

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...g-west-deptford-judge-put-down_n_6739428.html
• Posted: 02/24/2015 11:18 am EST Updated: 02/24/2015 3:59 pm EST
  
  
  
  After a months-long battle with Cushing's Disease, a retired K-9 officer named Judge was put to sleep last week -- but not before 90 police officers could send him off properly.
  
  "Judge and I had such overwhelming and positive support that day," West Deptford Police Cpl. Michael Franks, who served with Judge, told ABC News on Monday. "Though Judge was extremely lethargic and could barely walk the days before the ceremony, he was able to bite onto his favorite protective decoy arm sleeve used in training and carry it into the hospital."
  
  The German Shepherd started working with West Deptford in 2007, ultimately serving for seven years alongside Cpl. Franks, who adopted Judge in 2014 when the dog retired.
  
  When Judge came down with Cushing's Disease later that year, a community fundraiser to help cover the officer's medical bill generated $12,000 in 30 hours -- enough to pay the more than $10,000 needed for the K-9's expenses.
  
  During his career, Judge helped apprehend 152 suspects, took three guns off the street, seized three motor vehicles and tracked down "countless amounts" of drugs, police said. A Facebook post announcing his send-off on Friday notes, "He was a true asset to our department and will be forever missed."
  
  "It's about showing respect, but also the people who are here wanted to thank Judge for his service to the community," said Sgt. Dan Eliasen, who attended the ceremony on behalf of the K-9 division he supervises at the nearby Glassboro Police Department. "No one has forgotten what he's done -- and that includes protecting his partner and his community," he told the South Jersey Times.
  
  Good boy, Judge.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I had a friend in Tucson who trained police, SAR, drug, cadaver dogs. Those dogs were just amazing and once trained, would sell for as much as $8000. Most of the dogs she trained were Belgian Malinois rather than GSDs. There were times when I would swear those dogs could read minds.Oh and since most came from Germany, you had to speak a bit of German to talk to them.

I would sometimes help with training exercises and one of the things I would do is, after the SAR dogs came back from a "job", we would schedule times when we would hide so they could find a live person. Finding too many dead people would depress them and they needed the lift.

And many years ago, when I had bookstores in Denver, there were a couple of times when K-9 units responded to my store alarms going off. The cops wouldn't let me go in but would send a dog.

One night, the dog came back out, literally leading a bad guy by the wrist. I was completely blown away by that and the dummy burglar was just embarrassed.

I remember a story that made the news about a K-9 cop being sent into a hardware store and bringing out a kitten that had somehow gotten in and lost in the store.

 

[Porker]

Rest in peace, dear Judge.

 

[Tom Sweetnam]

Good boy, Judge. Hope I see you on the other side.

 

[depotoo]

Ahh, sad but uplifting as well. What a send off. Rip.