It is with great sadness to let you all know about the death of Nutz, who was Jeff Herro's K9 partner since 1995.

On the night of Thursday 10/2/03, Jeff took Nutz in to the emergency vet because it was feared that he had stomach torsion (this is where the stomach turns and cuts off blood flow). It was confirmed and surgery was done at 2:00am. After the surgery, Jeff consulted with our regular vet and it was determined that his condition was not going to improve. Jeff then made the decision of letting his partner go at 5:45am, so he wouldn't suffer anymore.

For those of you who do not understand what kind of bond a K9 officer develops with his partner, it is one that can be comparable to that of a parent and a child. A K9 handler is the primary caregiver of this dog and for 7+ years; he goes to work with you, sleeps at the foot of your bed and puts in countless hours of training with you. You basically spend more time with this animal than you do with any other member of your family. To weigh the options on the dog's condition and make such a difficult decision within a couple hour window in which Jeff had to make, was one of the hardest things he will ever have to make.

Nutz will be remembered for his strong abilities in narcotics work and tracking. In his career, he recovered close to $100,000 in drugs and money, had several successful tracks/building searches and had the delicate nose that could pick out the best cut of meat from the butcher shop display.

This is also such a bittersweet day because this was also the graduation day of our new police K9 Bac who will start his duties on Monday 10/6/03.

Please keep Jeff and his family in your thoughts.

Sgt. Joe Volz, K9 coordinator, New Berlin Police Department