SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A Springfield police officer said his goodbyes to his former K-9 partner this week in a touching post on social media.
Officer Raul Gonzalez’s K-9 partner Kira retired in 2007 and became a full time house dog. In recent days, Kira, a Belgian Malinois, had struggled to move and Gonzalez knew the end was near.
The last few days she became ill, unable to move & eat. The heartbreaking decision all pet owners hate, a decision that had to be made. I thought about the life I tried to give her as both partner & family member. Did I give her the best I could after her career? Did I fulfill her life? K9 Kira was a great partner. She worked hard for me, never asking for much, but play and praise.
Gonzalez gave Kira a last ride in the cruiser and spent time reflecting on how well Kira performed her duties.
She helped the Springfield Police Department in locating & apprehending bad guys, locating evidence related to crimes, narcotics and locating missing persons. K9 Kira was a smart police dog that knew when to use her police skills & when to use her people skills. She was also a great demo dog because of that.
He ended his post by saying:
She loved people and brought us great joy. I will miss that as well as her calm demeanor. Everyone that knew Kira loved her. A dog’s life is short, and a police dogs life is even shorter. I hope that I made the best of the time we had with Kira.