Related Articles
Died 6/8/18
Handler – Officer Steve Croft
New McCracken County K9 continues legacy of K9 that passed away
A retired K9 that served with the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department for eight years has passed away. But his legacy lives on through the work of the department’s newest K9. Pepo died from kidney failure on Friday, said his handler, Steve Croft. The Dutch shepherd was 10 years old. Croft recalled when he took Pepo to the veterinarian. “The day I was going to take him to the vet, and he still just loved to play ball,” said Croft. “Still loved to run. Gave him the tennis ball, and he wanted to play so much. As sick as he was, he still wanted to play. Took him to the vet, and we diagnosed him at that point, and said his illness was irreversible, and there wasn’t anything else for us to do but to put him down. And he was suffering a whole lot. He left my house, carried the ball all the way to the vet, and he never released the ball. And he will be buried with that ball still in his mouth. So, he’s definitely playing in heaven with that ball.” Croft also remembered his last moments with Pepo. “He was a great dog. I thanked him for everything he’d done, and many times he saved my butt and several other officers’ butt. I told him I’ll see him again someday,” said Croft. Pepo had helped seize hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs and dirty money over his eight-year career, Croft said. He even caught a burglary suspect who was hiding in a creek. “(Pepo) stuck his head in the water, and next thing you know the suspect is coming up out of the water where Pepo had snatched onto him, and we ended up apprehending him,” said Croft. Pepo retired from the sheriff’s department in September 2017 and had been living in Croft’s home until his death. The two had become inseparable. “He knew exactly what everything I was thinking. I knew what he was thinking,” Croft said. “I knew when he was going to be ill for the day. I knew when he was going to have a bad day. We could read each other quite well. I mean, there’s just not a whole lot I could say about Pepo that wasn’t just perfect.” After Pepo retired, Croft got a new K9 named Caun, but he said the dog developed a health issue with his throat just a few months later. Because Caun could no longer work, Croft got another K9 named Oscar, who has been with the sheriff’s department since April. Croft said Oscar has already become quite familiar with the daily routine. “As soon as the vehicle starts in the afternoon, you can hear him start to whine. He knows it’s time to go to work, so he’s getting excited. This is the best job you’ll ever do in law enforcement. There is no other job like it. Having a K9 partner behind you always, watches your back the whole time,” Croft said. “One hundred percent, this dog will lay his life down to protect us and make sure we go home at the end of the night.” Croft said Oscar has located illegal drugs in several cases already, including finding 93 grams of crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and paraphernalia in a vehicle a week ago. The meth’s estimated street value was $9,300.
