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Died – 10/9/16
Handler – Lt. Mitch Ellicott
Sheriff’s Office mourns passing of K9
The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its own after an 8-year veteran of the department passed away on Sunday. Blaze, a search and rescue K9 for the office, died in his sleep over the weekend, the sheriff’s office said on Wednesday. “These dogs are like a member of our office,” said Sheriff Michael Strada. “He came to work every day for the last eight years just like an officer.” Formerly a service dog for the visually impaired, Blaze was adopted by Lt. Mitch Ellicott in April of 2008. He became a certified Search & Rescue Dog on Oct. 19, 2008, the sheriff’s office said. “The dogs get very close to their handlers since they go home with them at the end of each day,” Strada said. “This has a big impact on not only our office but also the handler and his family.” Throughout his career with the department, Blaze responded to and assisted in the location of more than 40 missing juveniles, adults and seniors in Sussex County and the surrounding area. Because of his “calm, yet playful, demeanor,” Blaze was well suited for being a search and rescue dog. Strada said his office has two other search and rescue K9s so there won’t be any lapse in service, just more work for the other dogs. He said the search and rescue dogs are mainly used when municipalities call in a missing person, adding that his office and the New Jersey State Police are the only departments with search and rescue dogs in the county. Strada said his office will honor Blaze, but it has yet to be planned.
