Paulding Sheriff's Office mourns loss of 'beloved' canine
K-9 Major (Paulding County Sheriff's Office)
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its K-9s that passed away Monday morning.
K-9 Major would have been 16 years old in April, according to the sheriff's office. The dual-purpose law enforcement canine began his service with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office in September 2009 and retired from service in September 2018.
Although K-9 Major had been retired for nearly five years, he was beloved by many at the sheriff’s office.
"Throughout the course of his career, K-9 Major was responsible for numerous felony apprehensions and many narcotics seizures," the sheriff's office sent in a statement to FOX 5. "K-9 Major will be remembered for his relentless drive and his unwavering desire to find narcotics, "bad guys", and the love and praise of his handler. K-9 Major was handled by Major Billy Hurst for the entirety of his career."
Sheriff Gary Gulledge stated, "Major and Billy were a great team and a true asset to Paulding County. Major was one of the most fun, and strongest dogs I ever had the privilege to work alongside.
His name, along with his birth year and death year will be inscribed on the K-9 Memorial in front of the Sheriff’s Office. K-9 Major’s legacy will live forever on the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Memorial.