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Died 8/2/21
Handler – Officer Mark Riley
Worthington Police Department mourns loss of K-9 Mack
A Worthington Police Department K-9 completed his end of watch last week after a brief bout with cancer. Mack, a fierce-looking but friendly German Shepherd, had to be euthanized in the early part of his shift on Aug. 2, less than two months after his spleen was removed during emergency surgery, according to his handler, Mark Riley. The two had worked side by side for the past seven and a half years, and Mack’s death is a loss felt not only by his handler’s family, but by his law enforcement family. Riley and Mack were training for June trials when, the day before they were to compete, Riley noticed a change in his K-9 partner’s behavior. “I could tell he was not feeling right,” Riley said. “I threw his Kong ball for him and he didn’t move, so I brought him in right away.” Riley took Mack to the Veterinary Medical Center in Worthington, where veterinarian Ashley Vegter immediately ordered an x-ray. The scan revealed a mass on Mack’s spleen had ruptured and was causing internal bleeding. Within 20 minutes, he was in surgery. “The vet said he would need 24-hour care because he lost so much blood,” shared Riley, who had just started a series of consecutive nights on duty. He took Mack to All City Vet Clinic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the round-the-clock monitoring. “I called at midnight and they said he was doing well, so I called at 5 a.m. and they said they thought he was alright to go home,” Riley said. “We didn’t know at that point that it was cancer. The vet said there was about an 80% chance it was cancer.” The news they dreaded arrived a week later. The tumor was cancerous, and Mack’s life expectancy was suddenly cut from years to a matter of months — three or four was reasonable, given that the cancer hadn’t spread too far, Vegter had told him. And just days before trials, Riley said he was talking with Sergeant Dustin Roemeling about Mack’s health and believed he was in perfect condition — well enough to serve another two years on the force at least. Riley said one of the worst moments in Mack’s sudden health scare was having to go out on patrol without having Mack alongside him. Following the K-9’s surgery, Riley had to return to work — his first shift in seven and a half years without Mack as his back-up. “Jessica was home and said Mack sat by the door and whined, waiting for me to come home,” Riley said of the call he had with his wife that night. “That was the worst.” While the veterinarians instructed Riley to give Mack two weeks of rest before riding once again in the car, it was Mack who endured two miserable days at home before his behavior was such that Riley just couldn’t deny him the chance to work. “He was depressed,” Riley said. “I said he could ride, but I won’t let him get out and do anything.” That was good enough for Mack. He was happy as could be to ride in the squad, and within two weeks, he was back to training and working like normal. “You had no idea anything was going on,” Riley shared. Yet, he knew differently. Time was not on Mack’s side. On the evening of Aug. 2, Riley made his way downstairs to his home gym for a pre-work workout. The routine always included Mack, who would lay on the floor, watch and wait until it was time to leave in the squad. “When it was time to go to work, I picked up his harness,” Riley said. “He eventually came over and we got his harness on him. I opened the door and he wouldn’t jump in on his own.” Riley lifted Mack into the squad for the start of his 9 p.m. shift start, and by 10 p.m., he knew it was Mack’s time. “He couldn’t lift up his head, his tongue was hanging out and he had trouble breathing,” Riley shared. The change in Mack happened “super fast.” For the second time in less than eight weeks, Riley called the emergency number for the VMC and said it wasn’t good — it was probably Mack’s time. The veterinarian agreed, saying Mack’s blood pressure was so low, she couldn’t find a vein. Jessica met Mark at the clinic, and the two sat with Mack during his last minutes.Mack was the first K-9 partner for Riley, but he won’t be the last. Riley has already received the OK from Chief Troy Appel to get the next K-9 — something that could happen before the end of the year.“I believe the next batch of dogs are coming from overseas in December,” said Riley, who intends to get another German Shepherd. The new K-9 will join Frankee, the department’s nine-year-old K-9 who was considered for retirement later this year. Frankee will now stay on until the new K-9 is fully trained, anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2022. Mack was about a year old when he joined the WPD as a K-9 officer. He, too, was born overseas and was paired with Riley before they attended the St. Paul Police K-9 Academy. The rigorous training included a three-month patrol academy in the spring, and a month-long narcotics academy in the fall. Mack and Riley went through yearly certification after that. “His on-off switch was absolutely incredible,” Riley said, sharing a story of a busy Halloween night six or seven years ago in which Mack was the star among Smith Avenue trick-or-treaters. “Kids were rubbing his belly and he was loving it,” Riley said. Then, the report of a sheriff’s deputy in pursuit of a stolen vehicle on Interstate-90 sounded over the scanner. Riley and Mack took off to help, and although Riley assisted with the traffic stop, Mack’s services weren’t needed. “Ten or 15 minutes later, he was back loving up on the kids on Smith Avenue,” Riley said. “In my opinion, he was the perfect dog for Worthington. We don’t need the super-aggressive, high-drive dog. “He prevented a lot of things from escalating or going wrong, just by being there,” he added. Roemeling said Mack was an amazing K-9. “He was a very accomplished K-9, not only winning trophies at USPCA K-9 Trials, but also being responsible for countless arrests that would not have been possible without him,” Roemeling shared. “K-9 Mack was a very social dog that was great with kids at community events. He was one of the best K-9’s this area has ever had. He will definitely be missed by his partners at the Worthington Police Department.” Riley said he appreciated the care given to Mack by the VMC during his brief illness. “Dr. Vegter was awesome and as caring and concerned as you could be,” Riley said. “Those ladies out at the vet center have been awesome.”
