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Died – 1/30/20
Handler – Officer Sean Hanse
Romy, Sandy Springs’ first K9 officer, has died
The Sandy Springs Police Department is mourning the loss of its first K9 officer, Romy. In a message posted on Facebook Jan. 29 by Officer Sean Hanse and his wife, Nancy Culotta Hanse, Mike Dewald, Hanse’s former K9 partner, announced Romy, a female Belgian malinois, would be put to sleep the following day at the Animal Hospital of Sandy Springs. “With great regret I ceremoniously invite you to pay respects to Retired Sandy Springs Canine, Romy, who at the age of 16 has succumbed to cancer and will be laid to rest. … Romy is a dual-purpose canine that has had a long career stemming the flow of illicit drugs through the city and has apprehended numerous violent criminals.” Hanse said Romy worked for the city from 2007-12, and in 2007 he was able to acquire the dog from a private donor who was later revealed as his father. Romy, who had mouth cancer tumors that were removed, but the disease returned within two months.“It’s hard. It really sucks,” Hanse said of losing Romy. “Last night was the first night without Romy. We have a labradoodle (Parker). My wife’s looking at me and it’s hard. She always brought Romy and our labradoodle out for walks at night. She’s devastated. The kids are devastated. We’re a dog family, so we expected (Romy wouldn’t live forever).” As a K9 officer, Romy “was phenomenal” and had many talents, he said. “Her big strong point was she was a good tracking dog,” Hanse said. “She would find people hiding in the woods. She was also great at finding articles/evidence and at finding drugs.” Once Hanse brought Romy home, she became part of the family, especially in retirement. “After I retired her, I went back to the road for a few years ago and then got my new dog Igor,” he said. “My wife Nancy, that was her dog after the dog retired. She brought that dog to her workplace. It just became part of our life.” Culotta Hanse added, “She lived with us longer in retirement than she worked. … She’s older than our kids. I can’t even explain it. My friend put it the best when we questioned if we made the right decision (to euthanize Romy). It was a selfless choice for her. To not have let her go would have been selfish since she needed to have peace. She was put to rest in honor. She was recognized for everything she did on and off duty. I can’t ask for any more than that. “The community, the friends, the department, it helps in grieving.” We Ride to Provide, a Porterdale-based organization that raises funds to honor fallen K9 officers and aids police dogs in other ways, paid for Romy’s cremation and an urn, Hanse said.
