Greater Sudbury Police Service bid farewell this week to one of its own.
It wasn’t a human officer who passed away, though. The service said goodbye to Apollo, an eight-year veteran of the GSPS canine unit.
“With the heaviest of hearts and overwhelming sorrow, we say goodbye to one of Greater Sudbury's finest K9 service dogs, Apollo,” GSPS posted to Facebook. “Best friend and partner to Constable (Greg) Major, the pair was quite the dynamic duo.”
Major and Apollo were partnered up in 2009. After his eight years of service, Apollo retired earlier this year “as an exemplary member of the service.”
“Apollo was driven, determined and loyal to the end,” reads the GSPS Facebook post. “For those lucky enough to have shared his life saw a passionate, fun-loving, and young at heart dog.”
GSPS extended condolences to Major and his family, as the constable not only lost his partner, but his family lost one of its own. To ensure a tight crime-fighting bond between handler and animal, a police dog lives with its partner.
Major shared the post on his own Facebook page and condolences poured in from friends and family, expressing their sympathy to the constable and their love for Apollo.
“Rest in Peace Apollo and until we meet again across the Rainbow Bridge.”
The GSPS canine unit uses German shepherds for general service work and Labrador retrievers for passive detection jobs, the service’s website states.