KUANTAN: "I'VE lost my first colleague," lamented a member of the Tracking Unit (K9) at the Pahang police contingent headquarters, Sergeant Patrick Sandai, whose canine partner died due to old age.
Sandai, 40, said he was beside Tho at the K9 Unit here all day on Saturday after seeing the dog, aged 12 years and eight months, almost lifeless since morning. The dog eventually died at 7.30pm.
Tho, a Labrador, was born on Jan 30, 2008, in China and served as a narcotics sniffer dog. Sandai, on the other hand, has been serving in the K9 Unit for 20 years. He started as a driver before teaming up with Tho.
"I had been with Tho since it was eight months old. We both trained at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre for four months before working as partners due to our compatibility.
"We participated in many operations at nightclubs, ports, airports and various locations regardless of time. During our time together, never once did Tho disappoint me," he said.
Sandai said before being deployed to Pahang in June 2018, they were both attached to the Criminal Investigation Department of Johor, and were involved in busting drug smuggling.
The native of Bintulu, Sarawak, was much affected by the loss as Tho had a loving and caring nature, often rubbing itself against his legs to invite him to "play" if it sensed that its partner was not up to it while on duty.
Tho's health started to decline three months ago due to old age, and had been deteriorating three weeks ago when it refused to eat and hardly moved, preferring to stay in its cage.
So weak was Tho that Sandai had to carry it to the veterinary clinic last Wednesday, where the doctor said Tho had a slim chance of surviving.
"Although the doctor estimated it had another week to live, I could feel that yesterday was its last day because it was lying all day and vomited each time it ate.
"In fact, it did not respond when I called its name. Usually, Tho would open its eyes and wag its tail. Because of that, I spent all day with Tho until I finally realised it was no longer breathing," he said.
Tho's death, which was shared on the Pahang police contingent's Facebook page, received reaction from netizens, who were also saddened by the departure.
Some of them also expressed gratitude for the dog's service. -- Bernama