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Handler – Detective Eric Thome
Retired Riverview police dog Reno dies; served city for six years
Although a dog’s life is short, this German shepherd devoted six years of his brief life protecting the community. “We are saddened to share that retired K-9 Reno has passed away,” the Riverview Police Department stated in a June 17 Facebook post. “He proudly served the city of Riverview from 2013 to 2019. Our sympathies go out to his handler Detective (Eric) Thome and family.” Reno retired early after being diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, a condition that causes loss of coordination of the hind legs. He stepped down from the police force in April of 2019. But even with this incurable disease, Reno lived to the age of 9½. He died on June 3. “Having gotten Reno when he was 13 months old, Reno really never left my side, only boarding him once when the family went on a cruise,” Thome said. “Any trip that we took, Reno came with the family. Reno was a constant fixture in our house, with our three daughters, during his working years and even more so in retirement.” Thome said the loss has been difficult for the kids, but especially for he and his wife’s oldest daughter, who was born one month before they got Reno in 2013. “The amount of time a handler spends with his K-9 partner is immeasurable and the bond created is unlike any other,” Thome said. “I always tell people I spent more time with Reno than I did my own kids when Reno was working. After the Police Department posted about his passing, the outpour from the community has been immense. It just shows the impact that Reno made in the community during his tenure.”
