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Handler – Deputy Christopher Tash
Retired Culpeper bomb dog, Hyco, passes on
Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Tash vows to never get another dog after the recent loss of his retired police K9, Hyco. “It’s just one of those things — I don’t want to bond with them. It’s too hard. To go ahead and get another I would do nothing but compare the new dog to him, which is not fair,” Tash said. “Hyco was a good dog and I’m not going to tarnish his memory.” The 12-year-old black and tan German shepherd, originally from Belgium, died last week after suffering a stroke. Tash named him for a pet he had as a child. A bomb dog, Hyco worked for six years with Tash at the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office until the K9’s retirement in 2011. During his career, the K9 helped track suspects and ensure the safety and security of the community. Following his retirement, as during his working life, Hyco lived with Tash. “He was his own unique dog,” said Tash. ” It was amazing to look into Hyco’s eyes. Trust was all you saw. He knew I would never do anything to harm him. I always knew he had my back and I had his.” While on the job, Hyco was no nonsense, and quite fierce. In retirement, he became more social and affectionate. “I allowed people to pet him and he turned into a big ham. He went from bite sleeves and explosive detection to belly rubs and ball throws,” said Tash, who worked under former Culpeper County Sheriff Jim Branch. “It was nice to see him go from this aggressive working dog, that’s all he’s ever known, to this playful loving animal.” The transition from work to play didn’t happen overnight. Tash, of Reva, fenced in two acres at home and encouraged the dog to run. “I took him off the lead and he would not leave me. He stayed within five feet of me because he’s always been on a lead,” said the deputy. “It took two or three weeks for him to figure out he could wander through the yard.” Through the years, Dr. Harry Byrd at Culpeper’s Blue Ridge Animal Hospital cared for Hyco, even until his dying day. The canine’s health had started to deteriorate and he couldn’t run anymore, said Tash. In human years, Hyco was about 89. “He was always there for me,” Tash said. “T his week’s been hard, getting used to it, that’s he’s not here anymore.” The sheriff’s deputy love for his K9 goes beyond this life. Hyco is being cremated, and when Tash dies, he will be cremated, and their ashes co-mingled. Tash put it in his will.
