Butler's sole police dog, Gunner, dies
The Butler City Police Department's only police dog died over the weekend.
Gunner, the department's 7-year-old canine, was euthanized early Friday morning, according to Police Chief Bob O'Neill.
The dog last assisted in an arrest on Christmas Eve, but he fell ill on Dec. 27. O'Neill said medical issues, not foul play, were to blame.
Lt. Brian Grooms, who leads the department's canine unit and handled Gunner, was not available to comment on the death of his fellow K9 officer.
“He certainly is feeling the loss,” O'Neill said.
Gunner joined the department in 2012, and began joining regular patrols in November of that year.
His death brings the department's canine staff down to zero. It once had two dogs.
The second dog, Blade, joined shortly after Gunner. Blade has since been retired from the force and was not replaced.
O'Neill said Monday that he'd like to rebuild the K9 unit with not one, but two police dogs.“Their potential on a scene even outweighs what they can do,” O'Neill said. “Just their presence is like having four extra officers on hand.”Doing so anytime soon would likely require community fundraising outside of the regular police budget. The department generally solicits donations for canine units through the city clerk's office. Such donations must be earmarked for the canine unit fund.Donations also can be made at the police department.Gunner joined the force as a result of such donations. Denny Offstein, a Butler businessman, helped start community fundraising efforts for two dogs. Those efforts in 2012 eventually raised about $100,000, paying for both dogs and outfitting two squad vehicles for their use. Offstein himself gave $10,000.Fundraising efforts included events, such as spaghetti dinners and selling K9 sweatshirts.
Offstein was shocked to hear of Gunner's death.“He was a beautiful dog,” Offstein said. “He did a wonderful job. That's a big loss.”Offstein said Gunner's voice gave police a powerful tool.“He had a hell of a bark,” Offstein said.In 2012, the dogs were bought for about $7,000 each and were trained for free by the Pittsburgh Police Department, according to Offstein, who said the training brought the unit's overall expenses down.Denis Daman, a local veterinarian, provided free vet work for the dogs. He wasn't able to be reached for comment over the holiday.Relevant city finance staff members also were not able to be reached for clarification of whether any money is already in the city's canine fund.A staff member at Shallow Creek Kennels, where Butler previously bought its police dogs, said Tuesday that its dual-purpose narcotic and patrol dogs cost $14,500, with their training included.
