Died – 7/24/24
Handler – Officer Dustin Hill
K-9 Gypsy took her final ride
Retired Wahpeton Police Department K-9 Gypsy took her final ride this past Wednesday.Acclaimed K-9 in the Wahpeton community, Gypsy, a black Labrador mix came in first place for three consecutive years when K-9 teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wyoming were trained at Camp Ripley, Morrison County, Minnesota.Gypsy wasn’t a bite or dual purpose dog, she was heavily trained in narcotics detection. In the community she set a positive example of K-9 use in law enforcement working alongside her partner and best friend, retired law enforcement officer, Dustin Hill.“Gypsy served her community with distinction, not only did she work with children and community policing education, she also took narcotics off the streets,” said Hill.Hill and Gypsy have spent nearly the last 12 years together, six of those as partners in law enforcement.“I am absolutely devastated. The last thing that tied me to my old life is gone. I lost my best friend, my anchor, my peace.”“I want to thank Wahpeton P.D., Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Campus Police Department, and Richland County Sheriff’s Office for giving Gypsy her final ride honoring her service to the community.”“I especially want to thank Chief Matthew Anderson and Deputy Chief Tim Appell who went out of their way with very little notice to make Gypsy’s final ride happen, my family and I are extremely grateful.”This is a statement for dogs and was used for Gypsy Hill:Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When a dog passes away that has been especially close to someone here, that pup goes to Rainbow Bridge. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. Until the day you and your friend finally meet again and cross the Rainbow Bridge together, she may be too long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.