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Died – 4/22/19
Handler – Sgt. Scott King
Mountlake Terrace PD says farewell to long-time narcotics dog Hunter
The Mountlake Police Department passed along the sad news Tuesday that its long-time narcotics dog Hunter died Monday night at the age of 14. MLT Police Sgt. Scott King, who served as Hunter’s trainer and partner, said that the black lab had a knack for finding all kinds of drugs, from meth to heroin to cocaine, along with anything that had been in contact with drugs — such a cash. As a result, the pair was called to assist on cases from Seattle to Arlington. “We helped put a lot of bad guys in jail,” King said. Hunter’s reputation was well-known, King added, recalling the time that officers asked suspects whether they wanted to tell police where the drugs were, or if they should let the dog find them instead. One of the suspects replied: ‘Do you have the black lab? We heard about him, and he’s really good. So we’ll tell you where they are,’” King said. For Hunter, though, going to work every day was fun, and searching for narcotics was a game. And when he found drugs, he especially enjoyed his reward — a tennis ball. In announcing the dog’s passing Tuesday morning, MLT Police Commander Mike Haynes said Hunter was “widely recognized as the best dope dog in the area. He was a part of our family here and he will be missed.” Hunter retired when King was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2013, and the dog lived out the rest of his days with King, his wife and two small children. King, who was single when he first started working with Hunter, said it was fortunate that when he got married, his new wife loved dogs. “He went on our honeymoon with us,” King recalled. Retirement wasn’t easy for the high-energy dog, King admitted, noting that at first Hunter would sit at the window and watch for him to come home. “He was just a great dog, great-tempered,” King said. “He loved people.”
