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Died – 8/17/17
Handler – Sgt. Steve Armstrong
Retired Washtenaw County police dog dies after nine years of service
A retired Washtenaw County Sheriff service dog died Thursday, Aug, 17 after nearly a decade of service to the county. Bary, a German shepherd, worked with now-retired Sgt. Steve Armstrong for nine years as a general police dog and helped police track people and objects, apprehend criminals and detect explosives. He retired in 2015 after having worked for the sheriff’s office since 2006. Bary had been injured in the line of duty and earned several commendations for his service. Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies and staff gathered Thursday with Armstrong and his wife, Andrea, to honor Bary. K9 Bary, a German Shepherd Dog, was imported into the United States from the Czech Republic in 2005. He began his service with the Sheriff’s Office in 2006, serving in a “multi-purpose” capacity. Working alongside his partner, Sgt. Steve Armstrong, K9 Bary consistently met the unique challenges of police work with courage, dedication, diligence, and the special dignity that characterizes the police service dog. He served as a general patrol dog to include tracking, searching for people or objects, and criminal apprehension. He specialized in explosive detection and was one of the few multi-purpose dogs certified nationally for explosive detection under the National Odor Recognition Test (NORT) certification program of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Having been injured in the line of duty and having earned a number of commendations over the course of nine (9) years of service to the citizens of Washtenaw County, K9 Bary retired from active duty in 2015. He was honored with a legislative tribute upon his retirement. Police service dogs and their handlers are together and depend upon each other all of the time. They have a deep bond. As is the custom in the police service dog community, a number of police service dog handlers and unit leadership quietly gathered together this morning with Sgt. Armstrong (retired) and his wife Andrea to honor and recognize Bary as he passed away. “Godspeed Bary…… Rest in Peace. You will always be remembered as the most favorite and dedicated partner to Sgt. Steve Armstrong (STRETCH) and a dedicated member of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. You served your community well and represented admirably. We will miss you Bary. Until we meet again.” ~ Commander Marlene Radzik. Please keep Sgt. Armstrong and his family in your thoughts.
