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In
Loving Memory of
K-9 ORDI
October 6, 2006
Handler:
Officer Tom Otten
Sauget Police Department
2897 Falling Spring Road
Sauget, IL 62206
618/332-6500
Fax # 618/332-3539
I am sad to inform you that I had to put K9 Ordi
down yesterday, October 6. It was not an easy
decision. He was starting to have problems
breathing, and would not lie on his side. He
would spend most of the night whimpering and he
only seemed to take shallow breaths. He even
lost the energy to play. I decided it better
that he be put down before he got much worse.
On his final night he enjoyed junk food for the
first time in his life. He ate a hamburger and
fires, and that alone seemed to give him back
the energy of his youth, but once the food was
gone, so was his energy. I spent the night with
him on the living room floor, and that seemed to
be the best he rested all week, though he still
seemed to have a hard time breathing. The next
morning, I took him for a short walk, and spent
about an hour brushing him in the sun. He
seemed to enjoy it, and at one point he even
showed a bit of his youth as he perked up when
a squirrel ran by. Irene tried playing fetch
with him, but he only made a half hearted
attempt to chase the paper when
she threw it. He then returned to me and lied
down. I really began to have second thoughts
and was agonizing over my decision. We went
back into the
house and I just sat on the couch and watched
him sleep for about 30 minutes. The whole time
he was trying to sleep his breathing was
labored, and I could tell he could not get
comfortable. I then made the final decision,
and I got up and got ready to take him to the
vet.
I had made a few phone calls to inform some of
the people closest to Ordi that this was his
last day. Irene accompanied me to the vet but
she told me she could not come into the exam
room. When I arrived at the vet I was met by
the two other O'Fallon canine officers who had
known Ordi his entire career. I was also met
by a friend and her daughter whom I considered
Ordi’s biggest fans. They were at every
regional trial Ordi ever participated in.
Having those people in the room with me during
the procedure was extremely comforting. Just
as he was his entire life, Ordi was just perfect
in his final moments. He did not fuss or get
scared or nervous. He just laid on the floor
next me, and simply went to sleep while I was
stroking his head. It was the most peaceful he
had been in a while.The O’Fallon canine officers
gave us a police escort over to canine training
grounds and police dog cemetery in Sauget,
Illinois. Ordi was a founding
member of the East/West training group, and he
spent nearly every Monday of his life out there
working hard and having fun. We were met by the
other founding members of the training group,
and Ordi was buried with police honors,
including a flag-draped coffin. As we were
filling in Ordi’s grave site we could not help
but reminisce on his life, and the lives we all
shared as canine handlers. There was certainly
no shortage of humorous stories about the many
out-of-town canine trials we all participated
in together. There were also stories of the
heroics that all of the dogs constantly amazed
us with. There were many tears, and many
laughs, but most of all there was
camaraderie that not many people in life get to
experience. The Good Lord blessed us with the
most perfect weather, and it was a truly a
fitting end to such a great dog that God
created for me. I am so thankful to have
shared 9 years of my life with Ordi, and I am
even more grateful for all the wonderful people
Ordi brought into my life.
Tom Otten
submitted by Dir. USPCA, Russ Hess
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Memorials
to Fallen K-9s