State Patrol to honor K9 who died during training

A Washington State Patrol K9 who died last year be memorialized at the agency’s academy in Shelton.

Patrick, who worked for the State Patrol for seven months, died in April of 2016 after suffering a training injury. He died during emergency surgery.

Trooper Mike Allen, Patrick’s handler, said the dog was the best he’d worked with during his 12 years as a handler.

“He will be sadly missed,” he said following Patrick’s death.

Patrick and the K9 unit will be honored Tuesday, Aug. 15 with the dedication of a monument. He is the agency’s only explosives unit K9 to have died in the line of duty, according to a press release.

Three new explosives unit K9s will graduate Tuesday following 420 hours of training. Two other K9s will be recommissioned.

With the new dogs, the Washington State Patrol will have the largest non-federal K9 program in the country, according to the release.

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "State Patrol to honor K9 who died during training."