Port Elizabeth police are mourning the loss of one of their K-9 stars, Kojak, who died months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Police said that after being taken out of service in May, Kojak was cared for by his handler, Warrant Officer Ettienne Gerber, at his home.
“Kojak became part of the family and still showed courage and strength until his dying moments,” said police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
She said Gerber heard Kojak whimpering in the early of Sunday morning and later rushed him to a vet after the dog lost consciousness. He was later put down.
Naidu said Kojak had been with Warrant Officer Gerber for eight years and together they had engaged in over 650 search and rescue operations across the Eastern Cape.
“Kojak, a German Shepherd search and rescue dog, had recovered about 275 bodies and was a professional when at work,” she said.
She said Gerber and his family were devastated about Kojak’s passing describing it as losing a child.
(Pic:Suppled)
