Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Saline County deputy says he lost a friend when the police dog he handled for nearly five years died after a three-week bout with pneumonia.

Deputy Jim Hughes said the crime-fighting dog -- a German shepherd named Rony (RAHN'-ee) -- was "one of the better dogs around, if not the best." Rony died Tuesday at the Kansas State University veterinary clinic in Manhattan.

Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said the department has lost a law enforcement valuable tool and vowed to find the money to replace Rony at a time when budgets are extra tight. He said a Saline County K-9 Fund has been established at UMB Bank.

Hughes said the dog helped seize more than 500 pounds of marijuana, 100 pounds of cocaine and seven pounds of methamphetamine. He won numerous competition awards and performed countless demonstrations for scouts, senior citizens and community groups.