Pittsburgh police K-9 Jr. dies after short illness

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police say they lost a valued member of the force when one of their K-9s died on Monday.

The bureau said K-9 Jr. died after a short illness and a diagnosis of declining health.

K-9 Jr. came to Pittsburgh in 2016 but officially hit the streets in late December of that year. He’s been partnered with Officer Thomas (Casey) Lockard since 2019.

The bureau says K-9 Jr. was one of their best dogs.

“During in-service training he was consistently at the top of his game, whether it be performing odor work (explosives detection) or patrol work. He hit like a freight train and any of the current K9 handlers would agree he was one of the best in the business,” the bureau’s post remember Jr. said in part.

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