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Died 9/17/20
Handler – Officer John Butschky
End of watch for Millville Police K-9 Rio, partner of Officer John Butschky
Officer John Butschky and his partner Rio mastered many skills during their stints at K-9 schools. They were crowd-pleasers visiting classrooms and crimefighters on the streets. But on Thursday, they faced the heartbreaking crossroad that isn’t covered at academy — how to say goodbye. After a 6-year career, K-9 Rio was put down after a battle with an aggressive form of degenerative myelopathy, a neurological condition that destroys the spinal cord. The first sign Rio was unwell surfaced last year. “We were doing a demo in May and he fell over,” Butschky said, recalling how he sought medical care for his partner fearing a cardiac condition. “You know him, he’s been a ball of fire his whole life.” Rio’s heart was fine. But two months later, additional test results revealed the German Shepherd was suffering from the terminal disease. K-9 Rio continued to do what he loved, working when he could until he started to slow down. “Unfortunately, it moved very fast with him, he just turned 8,” Butschky said. When Rio went on light duty and prepared to retire, Butschky returned to K-9 academy and graduated with K-9 Adonis. There was no battle for top dog, the two law-enforcers got on well at home. This week, K-9 Rio took a particularly bad turn and Butschky said he could not let his partner suffer. “I owe that to him, he’s done so much,” he said. When the team took their final walk into the Animal Clinic of Millville, Millville K-9 Officer Michael Calchi alerted their Millville Police colleagues as well as other area K-9 teams, who lined up to pay their respects. The show of support was something Butschky said was much appreciated. Memorial donations in Rio’s name made to the Capital K-9 Association, P.O. Box 8762, Trenton, NJ. 08650, where the funds will be used to purchase safety equipment for area police dogs.
