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Died – 6/11/17
Handler – Detective Ron Hall
Retired Columbia police dog Leah dies
Leah, a German shepherd who served as a police dog in Columbia for nine years, died Sunday from natural causes, according to a Police Department news release. “K-9 Officer Leah will be sorely missed as we remember her loyal service and constant friendship,” Police Department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer said in the release announcing Leah’s “end of watch.” Leah, who was 12 when she died, served with the department’s Vice Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit. She was born May 30, 2005, and began her training for police work in October 2006 at Moore’s K-9 in Amelia, Virginia.
Leah “served as a family pet full of energy,” the released stated. She began working alongside her handler, Detective Ron Hall, in December 2006. “Leah’s energy never ceased,” evidenced by her successful location of nearly $4.5 million in money and drug seizures during her career, the news release said. Leah retired in November 2015, and spent her remaining years with Hall and his family according to the K-9 Unit’s website. Hall commended Leah’s skill when she retired. “She is incredibly smart,” he said at the time. “It’s been a dream come true for me to be able to have worked with her for the last nine years. “She is irreplaceable.” The Police Department has four other dogs and handlers in its K-9 Unit.
