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Died 8/18/16
Handler – Officer Sgt. Walker
Local police dogs M.J. and Kilo remembered for their service
After training together when they were young, police service dogs Kilo and M.J. passed away on the same night after dedicating the majority of their lives to the Carrboro and Chapel Hill police departments, respectively.The two dogs, who were both German Shepherds, passed away on Aug. 18. M.J. lived with her handler, Officer David Funk of the Chapel Hill Police Department after her retirement. Funk worked with M.J. until 2013. Later, M.J’s older brother, Mickey, also a German Shepherd, moved into Funk’s home, too. Funk sometimes took M.J. to local schools to meet with kids. She was a popular guest. “M.J. was a sociable enough dog that we could go out there and catch the bad guy and play with the kids later,” Funk said.M.J. was about 18 months old when she started her training program.During the training program, M.J. and Kilo both learned obedience apprehensions, evidence searches, how to track, to detect narcotic odors and how to search a building. “(M.J.) could do everything but drive a car,” Funk said.Kilo, a former Carrboro police service dog, retired in 2014 and continued to live with his handler, Sgt. Jim Walker of the Carrboro Police Department. “Kilo was my partner,” he said. “If I came to work, he came to work.” Walker, Kilo’s second handler, received Kilo in 2007, when Kilo was four years old. Kilo’s first handler changed departments. Walker said Kilo once tracked a suspect from a vehicle break-in and located him under an apartment building.
