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Died – 7/17/17
Handler – Officer Joe Gray
Retired Bellevue Police dog has died
Rico, a retired Bellevue Police Department police service dog, died Monday at almost 12-years-old. The Dutch shepherd was BPD Officer Joe Gray’s first K9 partner. Rico started working for BPD in 2008 and primarily worked with narcotics and patrol. Gray said the highlights of Rico’s career include finding a lost, injured 3-year-old and finding $148,000 hidden in a vehicle’s wheel. Ricoi participated in three K9 competitions, where he took home 14 medals, seven of which were gold. He won first place in the tough dog category two years in a row, among other first place awards. “He just wanted to work,” Gray said. “He did everything to please you.” Rico retired in 2014 due to symptoms of spine disease. During retirement, he seemed to be doing better for a while and lived life as a normal house pet, playing with Gray and his other dogs outside. He was a great family dog, Gray said. “His loyalty was unprecedented,” Gray said. “Every day when I wake up he was always next to the bed.” Throughout their 28-year marriage, Gray and his wife have had 10 dogs and Rico, he said, topped them all. “He’ll always be the one that stands out above them all,” Gray said. Rico recently started struggling with health issues again. He wasn’t eating, couldn’t sit down and was having trouble walking. Gray and his family didn’t want Rico to suffer any longer, so he was put down Monday. Coping with the loss has been tough, Gray said. “He wasn’t just a police dog, he wasn’t just a pet,” Gray said. “He was a family member.”
