Dear Editor,
Last Thursday I was sitting in the waiting room at Countryside Veterinarian Hospital when a police officer or maybe a detective came in carrying his dog in his arms. The dog was in great distress and gasping for air and taken immediately to the doctor as an emergency. The family soon joined their dog in the back.
A couple hours later, I was the last one left in the office and I saw the man carry his dog out the side door, again in his arms, but this time, the voices were low and sad, the movements slow and deliberate and I knew what had happened. I went to the side door and told them how very sorry I was that their dog had died. I was crying, they were crying. . .he thanked me and I could see that they had just lost their family friend, buddy, protector, and companion. Their dog had been a retired drug dog he said, and, I think that means it was also a police officer. I don’t know the man’s name or the dog’s name, but I do know that last week our community lost an honorable, dedicated public servant who may have just kept a drug dealer from selling drugs to your child; who may have saved your or your child’s life by helping to remove a criminal from our streets.
The canine officer was trained to protect and serve, and I could tell from the loving family the dog was much loved.
In the past several months I have lost two of my best friends in the world, they just happened to have four legs, wet noses, and hearts as big as the sky. They were with me for almost 16 years, so I knew how that family felt.
I am writing this letter because I wanted others to know that we all have lost something very precious that we didn’t even know we had.
Last Thursday there was an officer down. . .
Kay Robinson
Hoisington