Related Articles
Died 11/18/20
Handler – Sgt. Gregory Nicol
Beloved Monaca K9 Kazan dies of cancer
Kazan wasn’t just a patrol K9, he was the community’s dog. As the first police K9 with the Monaca Police Department, Kazan, an 8-year-old German shepherd, was known by everybody. Kazan’s handler, Sgt. Gregory Nicol, was raised in Monaca knows many people in the borough. But when he’s approached on the street, people don’t ask how he’s doing; they ask about Kazan. “It was a funny thing,” Nicol joked. “It was always, ‘So how’s Kazan?'” People loved Kazan for many reasons. Working in Monaca since 2013, he had a way of making other people feel happy. Nicol said he was always friendly. “Kazan was definitely full of life,” Nicol said. “He was real social; always excited.” He was full of joy even to the end. “His last day, as crappy as he was feeling, when he came down to see everybody, he was happy to see everyone,” Nicol said. Kazan was diagnosed with lymphoma a little over a year ago. He had three rounds of chemotherapy through the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Ohio Township near Avalon. “Every time he went there, it was like he was their dog,” Nicol said of the veterinarians with PVSEC. Kazan put up a strong fight. They gave him less than a year to live, but he surpassed that, Nicol said. It was only the last few weeks when he took a turn for the worst. “He had his last round of chemo, and he wasn’t reacting to it,” Nicol said. “For quality of life reasons, it was recommended we put him down.” Kazan was more than Nicol’s pet. He was his family, his colleague and his pal. “I’ve owned dogs in the past as pets. But it’s been nothing like this,” Nicol said. “Basically as a K9 handler, you spend more time with him than your family. You go to work and come back home with your dog. It’s 24 hours.” “People get a bond with personal pets, but it’s nothing like what I had with him,” Nicol said. The community, local businesses and officials with the borough, as well as the PCSEC and Kasper Hahn Funeral Home in Ambridge, which is handling Kazan’s remains, have all been an amazing help to Nicol during this difficult time. “Especially the PVSEC. Dr. Bridget Urie and her staff were just amazing. I mean, amazing,” Nicol said. Kazan was a dual purpose K9, according to Nicol. He was used for narcotics and patrolling, including tracking, apprehension and crowd control. Many dogs, such as some bomb dogs, are single-purpose K9s used just for finding bombs. Kazan was special. He was a hard worker with a happy soul. Nicol said the response he’s gotten from the community is touching.
