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The Andover police department announced Monday the force’s “oldest and finest” K-9 officer, Thor, passed away at the age of 9. Thor had a brief illness and died August 17. He would have turned 10 in September and was scheduled to retire in a few weeks. APD gave a biography of Thor’s life in a Facebook post Monday: “‘Thor’ was a male Belgian Malinois, born on September 16, 2009 in The Netherlands, and purchased on April 25, 2011 through the Hill Country Dog Center in Pipe Creek, Texas, made possible through a donation by the Capital Federal Bank in Andover. ‘Thor’ was actually a ‘Blue’ Belgian, which refers to the color of his coat which is considered rare in this breed. ‘Thor’ began his official training through the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office in April of 2011 and successfully completed the 10-week Patrol Dog and Drug Search School with then Officer Mickey Farris in July of 2011. ‘Thor’ was a dual purpose K-9 trained and certified through the Kansas Police Dog Association (KPDA) in both drug detection including Marijuana, Heroin, Methamphetamine and Cocaine, as well as, Patrol Tactics which included building and evidence searching, and had many successful searches during his 8+ year career. ‘Thor’ was also certified in Tracking and Trailing, and loved to go to the schools and community events to perform demonstrations.” In the post, Andover Chief Mike Keller provided a short eulogy for Thor. “Thor was a phenomenal dog, and I truly believe that he was one of the finest Police K-9’s in the state, both for drug work and police work,” Keller said. “He will be very missed!” APD says they will be wearing the black band of mourning through midnight on Saturday. Police are planning a memorial tribute for Thor for 1 p.m. on September 28th at the Amphitheater in Central Park, just prior to the Greater Andover Days (GAD) K-9 Demonstration, a demonstration that Thor was a part of for many years.
