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Died – 2/7/18
Handler – Officer Tonya Anderson
Little Egg Police And Residents Mourning The Loss Of K9 ‘Tag’
“Tag” – the much-loved K-9 dog of the Little Egg Harbor police department, died on Wednesday morning. Tag died in the arms of his K-9 handler Officer Tonya Anderson, who did all she could to make his last days as comfortable as possible. Tag was a member of the Little Egg Police Department for 10 years and retired in July.”Tag was an asset to the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department and the community,” according to a post on the Little Egg Harbor/Tuckerton P.B.A. Facebook page. “Tag will be deeply missed by his co-workers and township residents. R.I.P. Tag.” Tag, a Belgian Malinois born in Germany in 2006, was purchased by Officer Anderson in November 2007. “He was a certified dual purpose police K-9 (patrol & narcotic detection),” she wrote. “He is responsible for the successful tracking and apprehension of burglary suspects, locating other missing/endangered persons, recovery of evidence and stolen items, and countless drug arrests. Tag made a few public appearances even after retirement because he was always a crowd pleaser and loved to meet and greet children at public events like National Night Out.” Unfortunately, Tag suddenly became ill and collapsed 10 days ago. He went into cardiac arrest at the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, but was able to be revived. The veterinarians drained fluid from his pericardium and stabilized him. The diagnosis was hemangiosarcoma – an aggressive form of cancer common in dogs his age and breed, Anderson said. So she took Tag home, where she said he lived his last 10 days “like a king.” “I cooked his meals 3 times a day and he enjoyed lounging around on the couch snuggling with me and playing with his favorite ball,” she wrote. But sadly Tag suffered two more collapses. Vets were able to revive him a second time. But Wednesday morning he collapsed again and died in Anderson’s arms before she could get him to the vet again. “He was truly an amazing partner and will never be forgotten,” she wrote. Rest in peace, Tag.
