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Died – 6/20/18
Handler – Jay Craig
Retired Porter County K-9 Harley gets one final ride before he’s put down
About half a dozen police, fire and EMS departments paid tribute to the county’s retired search and rescue dog Wednesday night in a final ride from the station. Porter County Volunteer Fire Chief Jay Craig said he had to make the difficult decision Wednesday of putting down Harley, an 8-year-old German shepherd whose health has worsened in recent weeks. Harley retired from Porter County’s Volunteer Fire Department in May 2017 after he was diagnosed with degenerative myopathy, a degeneration of the spinal cord. Since that time Craig, his wife and children have cared for Harley. Craig said he and Harley rode together Wednesday night in a final ride in the truck from the Porter County Volunteer Fire Station to Westchester Animal Clinic. Harley had served in his official capacity since Feb. 28, 2012, and over that time has responded to an estimated 31 lost person calls. He directly led to the location of five missing persons and eliminated points of search in countless others. Craig said he rescued Harley from a kennel cage when the dog was seven months old. After training on their own for a year, Craig and Harley completed Department of Homeland Security search and rescue training. Harley began working for Porter’s fire department in March 2012, and he received his North American Police Work Dog Association certification in September 2013. Harley was certified for building searches, trailing and tracking, area search and article find, and obedience. He also has an intermediate cadaver search certification. While working, he wore a “search” vest and a GPS collar, while Craig carried a GPS unit to keep in contact with his dog’s location. When he wasn’t working, Harley doubled as a public relations canine, visiting schools and teaching kids about fire prevention. About 50 people representing police and fire departments in Chesterton, Liberty Township, Lake of the Four Seasons, Porter EMS, National Lakeshore, Burns Harbor and others came out Wednesday night. “Some of the people who helped train him over the years were here and got to say goodbye. It’s comforting to know the impact he’s had,” Craig said.
