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Died – 10/28/22
Handler – Police Chief Nathan Lewis.
The Merriam Woods Police Department announced the death of their K9 officer. K9 Zoey, 10, died around 2:25 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, according to her handler and Merriam Woods Police Chief Nathan Lewis.Lewis said Zoey suffered renal failure at the start of 2022 and was not expected to survive by her veterinarians, but she rallied and returned to service. During a tour of duty on Sept. 23, Zoey started to show struggles, and was taken to specialists at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. On Oct. 27, she began to show serious decline in her health, and she was euthanized on Oct. 28. “It is believed that the rapid decline in health was related to a mass that had been removed earlier in the year but returned as very aggressive cancer,” Lewis wrote in a statement. “Combined with her renal failure, it was just too much for our fighter.”Lewis had been partners with Zoey for nine years.Zoey was two days away from being euthanized in a Texas animal shelter when a K9 organization came to the shelter looking for candidates for their training program. Zoey was paired with Lewis in 2013 in San Antonio, where she was trained as a narcotics dog. They began their service in North St. Louis County, where she served tours during the 2014 Ferguson riots and other civil disturbances around the St. Louis Metropolitan area. She and Lewis then came to Merriam Woods in 2021 and began the first K9 unit for the department. Zoey participated in over 500 deployments during her career, with over 300 vehicles searched, resulting in over $23,000 in cash seized, 176 arrests, and 15 felony apprehensions because people surrendered when she came onto the scene. She was also known for multiple unauthorized pizza slice apprehensions from her handler’s car or the desks of fellow officers. Zoey also enjoyed spending time and bringing joy to the children of the community, who often indulged Zoey’s obsession with tennis balls.“I would like to thank Zoey’s numerous sponsors & supporters over the years and the ever vigilant medical staff at McClure Veterinary Clinic and Small Animal Hospital – University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center who provided every option available to care for Zoey in the best way’s possible,” Lewis said. A memorial service/celebration of life is currently being planned and information about the event will be released at a later date. A memorial will be placed in the Merriam Woods City Hall lobby.
