In a heart-breaking incident, the entire team of the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office gathered in central Arkansas to bid a final goodbye to their beloved dog before he was euthanized.

Patji received a hero’s salute on Wednesday, 24 January, when he and his handler, Deputy Brooks Grabill, walked together into a building where the dog was put down. He had joined the sheriff’s office in 2013 as a K-9 officer but a few months ago was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

The dog was retired from duty after the deadly disease started spreading and soon a veterinarian recommended that the dog be euthanized.

Describing the pain of putting down a friend, Grabill told Little Rock television station KTHV, “The dog’s always with you. He’s with you more than your family. You wake up and you go to work; he’s with you. Go home, take off your vest, he’s right there with you, as well. …Click here to read full story

Source: IBTimes