Police Pay Tribute To Faithful K-9 Officer With The Most Heartfelt Farewell

K-9 Officer Hunter served the Middletown Police Department in Connecticut for 11 years alongside his partner Michael D'Aresta and their colleagues before being diagnosed with cancer.

On his last day, they wanted him to know how much they loved him.

Hunter put his life on the line every day as a cop to keep the town safe. His heroic service to the force came to a painful conclusion as his health deteriorated.

"K-9 Hunter has been ill for a few days, and testing revealed that he has a very aggressive form of liver cancer. Unfortunately, they recommended that he be put to sleep," Middletown K-9 supervisor Sgt. Doug Clark posted online.

D'Aresta, who had to make the difficult decision to euthanize his partner due to the diagnosis, was not alone in his grief. As the tragic day approached, D'Aresta stood outside the veterinary office with Hunter in his arms, surrounded by his fellow officers, as he received a final salute from those who had served so bravely beside him.

"Officer D'Aresta and Hunter have been an amazing team serving the City of Middletown with high quality since 2007," Clark wrote. "As you can imagine, Mike and his family are going through a difficult time right now."

Middletown has a population of around 50,000 people, but Hunter's impact has spread across the nation and around the world due to the touching manner in which the police department bid farewell to K-9 Hunter—a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.