K9 Andy

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my K9 partner, Andy. Over this past Christmas weekend I had boarded Andy while I was out of town. I picked him up early Monday afternoon 12/27/04. He seemed like himself, sitting up in the back seat and barking at everything. He seemed okay at that time. At about mid-evening Monday he suddenly looked kind of lost. I was standing in our kitchen and he was in the living room with a straight line of vision to me. He stood up and started looking around the room and kind of looked a little panicked. He spotted me and ran over to me. Throughout Tuesday 12/28/04 he seemed to be okay except he seemed a little less energetic then usual. Yesterday 12/29/04, I saw him at about 10 AM lying down in our hallway. He was panting noticeably and I had no idea why. I kept an eye on him and he seemed okay. He went outside for his breaks as normal. He'd do his business and come right back in. At about mid-afternoon I found him lying in the hallway again and his breathing was very labored. I called him to me and he made it up and toward me but couldn't maintain his balance and fell down. I rubbed his muzzle and then put my finger in his mouth. His gums were ice cold. I found no obstruction that I could see in his airway so I have no clue what was going on. I loaded him up in the car and headed to the vet. He walked to my car but I had to lift him in. When I put him on the seat he collapsed and couldn't seem to move. At this time he was still breathing but with difficulty. At one point he stood up and turned around in the seat and then laid down again. His head flopped down on the arm rest of the back door and he moaned a little. His breathing was still very labored. I got to Creekside and they brought out a stretcher. We took him into the trauma room and he was pretty much dead weight. Dr. Jackson could not find a heart beat with a stethoscope. His tongue was out and it was clear that he was already gone. I have no idea what happened to him and no autopsy will be performed. He will be cremated and I will keep him. Anyway, yesterday was a difficult day. He was a great partner and while I am grateful for the 6 years we were together, I will miss him dearly.

Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Dept