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Died – 7/18/17
Handler – Deputy Brent Harris
Sheriff’s K-9 deputy Fritz passes away
A veterinarian late Tuesday night put down Cowlitz County Sheriff’s “K-9” Fritz, who had suffered from a short but intense illness, the sheriff’s office reported Wednesday. “Just after 11 p.m. Fritz went on to play in heavenly pastures with Nitro, Xaran, Trux, JJ, Raccer, Brix, and Toby,” the agency’s previous police dogs, according to a sheriff’s office Facebook post. Sheriff’s office employees will wear black memorial bands until at least 6 a.m. Monday.Fritz, who was between 10 and 11 years old, had been with the agency since late 2009 and was just a few months from retirement. “Deputy Brent Harris (Fritz’s handler) and K-9 Fritz served the citizens of Cowlitz County with great courage and honor; he will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to Brent, Julie and the Harris family and we will support them through this time as we all mourn the loss of our partner and friend, Fritz,” the post said. Fritz had not been feeling well for a couple days, but it took visits to three different vets to determine the fatal nature of his illness, and the decision to put him down was “obvious” to Sheriff Mark Nelson and deputy Harris, said Charlie Rosenzweig, chief criminal deputy. “Fritz was unique in the sense that he was excellent at adapting between public events, where he would be showcased before civic groups and mingle with the public and children, but could get very serious tracking dangerous and armed suspects. He was so successful making that switch, with a lot of the credit going to deputy Harris. Not all police dogs can do that,” Rosenzweig said. Sheriff Nelson noted in a press release: “K-9 Fritz was a big part of the Sheriff’s Office family. While he had a great disposition with folks and was loved at schools and public events, if you were on the working side of him, well let’s just say he had a way of getting a bad guy’s attention.” Rosenzweig recalled two cases in particular in which Fritz chased down criminal suspects. One was a vehicle pursuit case in Columbia County in which the suspect changed vehicles. Fritz tracked him down two miles from where he abandoned the car. In the second, he tracked down two suspects in a car chase in which the passenger was found to have an out-of-state warrant for attempted murder.Fritz was wounded in the January 2016 confrontation in Rose Valley in which deputies and a Kelso police officer shot and killed a 37-year-old man who had threatened them with a chain saw. Fritz took shrapnel and needed surgery to remove the bullet fragments, Rosenzweig said. “Deputy Harris and K9 Fritz had a long and very successful eight-year career which resulted in dozens of captures of people; most wanted for violent and serious felonies. They captured suspects wanted for felony assaults, car theft, domestic violence, and felony warrants for a wide variety of serious crimes,” Sheriff Nelson wrote. Fritz had replaced K-9 Nitro, who also died recently after a long retirement, Rosenzweig said. Fritz’s passing leaves the sheriff’s office without an on-duty canine member. In June, the agency purchased a new dog from the Czech Republic named Icarus (the figure in Greek mythology who drowned in the sea when his wax wings melted because he flew too close to the sun). Icarus starts training in August and likely will be put into duty within two months, Rosenzweig estimated. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office can call upon police dogs from many surrounding agencies should the need for canine assistance arise, he said. Memorial arrangements for Fritz are pending.
