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Died – 8/10/15
Handler – Officer Jeff Fornarotto
Brick police honor dying K-9 unit dog
Township police said their final goodbyes to one of their K-9 unit partners early Monday morning. Dakota, a nearly 11-year-old German shepherd, was euthanized about 1:30 a.m. at the Brick Town Veterinary Hospital after suffering from liver cancer that spread to his chest, said Dr. Adam Christman, who oversaw the police dog’s care. Before his recent retirement from Brick Township Police Department, Dakota worked in search and rescue, particularly in drug searches, Christman said. In 2009, Dakota was instrumental in tracking two teenagers who robbed and assaulted a pizza delivery man in the Maple Leaf Park section of Brick. In 2007, the police dog successfully tracked a man who fled a serious four-vehicle crash on Lanes Mills Road to a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. In a 2008 interview, now retired Brick police officer Jeff Fornarotto, who was Dakota’s handler, described their relationship this way: “I spend more time with him than I do with my wife.” In a Facebook post on Monday, Fornarotto mourned Dakota’s death, and called the police dog his “faithful partner.” Fornarotto could not be immediately reached for comment. To honor Dakota in his last minutes of life, eight members of Brick’s police force and two police dogs lined up outside of the veterinary hospital about 1 a.m. Dakota was originally scheduled to be euthanized on Monday evening because of the cancer, but the dog’s health declined unexpectedly and by Sunday night, he was having difficulty breathing, Christman said. The veterinarian said Dakota was “one of the most incredible dogs I know.” “He’s a true inspiration to me as a veterinarian,” said Christman. “It was such an honor taking care of him, particularly in his final moments.”
