PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Retired Putnam County Sheriff's Office K-9 officer Zeke passed away in his sleep Sunday.
Zeke lived out the last four of his 11 years at home with the officer who was his partner, Sgt. Vieria.
"Zeke will be missed by those who he left behind. He left his mark on those who worked with him as well as many school children and scouts he met for demonstrations," PCSO said in a release. "He will be especially missed by his family and his best friend Sgt. Vieira."
PCSO says when Sgt. Vieira was promoted and Zeke was going to get a new handler, he mysteriously started limping. Zeke's vet said he had a degenerative condition, leading to his retirement.
That's when he went to live with Sgt. Vieira.
A month later, he stopped limping.
While PCSO says he certainly did have a health condition, "we think he missed his family more." Being back with his person seemed to help Zeke heal right up.
"Zeke had a penchant for knowing when others needed him and where he wanted to be," the release said.
During Zeke's career, he helped to stop drug dealers, apprehend shooting and burglary suspects, and help find missing people, PCSO said. But his final job was as a beloved family member.
