EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) – The Eugene Police Department reported Saturday that overnight, their K-9 Loek passed away from natural causes.
Officer Robert Rosales was preparing for work Friday when he found his partner of six and a half years passed away even though according to him Loek had been his “jovial self” just the day before.
EPD described Loek as a “hard-charging dog with a lot of fight and high profile captures.” He did well with children as they often took him to school demonstrations.
Loek was born in Holland of July 2001 and arrived in the United States as Officer Rosales’ partner four years later.
Loek’s most notable deployment, according to EPD, was in 2010 when he captured a homicide suspect hiding in the middle of a clear cut hours after the murder. Officers also recall when Loek caught a predatory sex offender; Loek tracked the suspect down from at the scene of the crime about a quarter of a mile away. They were just two of many.
Officer Rosales said in a release, “After numerous heartaches, he and I developed an understanding relationship that would blossom into an awesome work force that I am extremely proud of and would do it all over again! K-9 Loek and I have had several ups and downs along our career with more ups than downs to include some very high profile captures. I just want to say thanks to those who believed in us and knowing that if there was a bad guy to find, we would find them. He will be missed dearly not only by me but by the department as well.”
