Md. Officer Whose K9 Partner Died To Get New One
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A Hagerstown police officer still mourning the death of his K9 partner in October soon will get a new police dog.
Hagerstown City Council members on Tuesday approved of two new dogs for Hagerstown police, one of which will be assigned to Officer Tom Bartles.
The Herald-Mail reports that Bartles lost his longtime K9 partner, a German shepherd named Queen, in October after her battle with lung cancer.
Bartles estimates that Queen worked on 1,000 assignments in her 7.5 years with the department. Those included hunting down evidence in robberies, tracking suspects and sniffing out drugs.
He was so close with Queen that he still keeps her ashes in an urn on his bedroom dresser. Her badge, photograph and end-of-watch date sit alongside.
Information from: The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Md.
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