State police mourn the loss of two tracking dogs – NBC Connecticut

The State Police are mourning the loss of two of their four-legged officers this weekend after two sniffer dogs died just days apart.

Connecticut State Police on Saturday announced the death of K-9 Elmer, a 6-year-old dog who had been assigned to the fire and explosion investigation unit since 2020. Elmer, who was assigned to Detective Dave Collins, died of medical complications, state police said.

According to state police, Elmer has responded to “numerous” fire scenes during his three-year career and helped investigators find evidence. He also helped train fire inspectors and worked with officials to educate the public about fire safety, according to state police.

“K-9 Elmer was loved by all and will be sorely missed,” state police said.

Elmer’s death occurred just days after the unrelated death of another Connecticut State Police dog, K-9 Drago.

Drago also died of medical complications on July 4, state police announced late last week.

Facebook posts reveal that the six-year-old drug sniffer dog – who police said had “successfully tracked down countless wanted suspects, missing persons and a large quantity of illegal drugs” – had been suffering from health problems for over a year.

State police announced last February that Drago had been diagnosed with gastric torsion – also known as “bloat” – a dangerous condition in which the stomach twists and turns inside out. Drago later returned to duty after veterinarians successfully corrected the life-threatening condition, state police said.

Then, in April of this year, Drago began experiencing “severe gastrointestinal problems” that, according to state police, are “usually fatal.”

But veterinarians who “refused to give up on Drago” performed a “Hail Mary” operation to allow his stomach to heal. The dog made a “miraculous recovery,” police said, and was released from the veterinary clinic in mid-June after six weeks. Drago was expected to return to work in mid-July.

“K-9 Drago was a beloved member of Troop C and had an immeasurable impact on the safety of the citizens of Tolland County, the State of Connecticut and the Connecticut State Police as a whole,” state police said.