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Died – 10/19/16
Handler – Sgt. Steve Miller
Stow police mourning K9
Using a police term, Colt had his “end of watch” in a place he was very familiar with. The oldest of the Stow Police Department’s three K-9s died Oct. 19 from complications of leukemia while in the police cruiser he rode around in with his handler and partner Sgt. Steve Miller. He was 8 and was the first Stow police K-9 to die while still on active duty. “He will be missed,” said Mayor Sara Kline. “He was a valued member of the department. He was so loved by Sgt, Miller and his family so I know they will miss him tremendously as well. It certainly leaves a hole in the city community and we will hopefully find a way to remember him and honor his memory.” Miller said Colt began showing signs that something was wrong just six days before his death. “It started on the 13th,” said Miller. “Initially, he had no energy. Didn’t want to go up the steps. They found he had a fever and was dehydrated.” Miller said Colt was diagnosed with leukemia on Oct. 17. Over the following two days, Miller was scheduled to take part in K-9 training in Wapakoneta in west central Ohio. The training was for handlers only, but Miller took the terminally ill Colt to be with him and he died on the second day of the training. Miller said that up until Oct. 13, Colt had seemed fine. His last day on patrol was Sept. 28. The next week, Miller and Colt went to Michigan for training and the week after that, Miller took part in SWAT training. He said his previous dog, Knight, did not retire until he was 10, in 2010, and he hoped it would be the same with Colt. “I was hoping to get a couple more years,” said Miller. “It all depends on their physicals. How they are.”
