A seven-year vet of the Halton Police Service’s Canine unit has died just a few weeks into retirement.
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In a Twitter post on Tuesday night, the service announced that Police dog Parker had died.
“We are devastated to share that our universally loved PSD Parker has passed, and our thoughts are with his best friend and handler, Sgt. Tara Vivian,” the tweet reads. “We are incredibly fortunate to have had such a loyal member amongst us, and had hoped for many years of restful retirement.”
Most police forces in North America typically retire police dogs after about seven or eight years. Those dogs tend to live about 11 to 14 years on average, depending on breed.
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Who's a good boy? 😀
PSD Parker came by for a visit this morning.
One of six dogs in our K9 Unit, Parker has been with us since 2012. He is named in honour of the late Colonel Geoff Parker, an Oakville native and the highest-ranking Canadian to be killed in Afghanistan.
@HaltonPolice
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This is our fifth day under a heat warning, Halton.
Fortunately, PSD Parker has found himself a beautiful place to cool off.
@HaltonPolice
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PSD Parker and I are wearing our bright coloured socks today for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day #wdsd #wdsd2019 #wdsd19
@CloudCanine
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PSD Parker is enjoying his well deserved day off with a hike and a swim. #TongueOutTuesday
@CloudCanine