PORT ANGELES – Arco, the first Port Angeles Police Department K-9 officer, has died, city spokesperson Teresa Pierce said on Tuesday.
Arco, 12, was euthanized on Nov. 9 after suffering a stroke in October.
K-9 dogs are considered police officers, and carry badges.
Arco will be honored with a proclamation at the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
Purchased as a puppy, Arco was an 11-year veteran of the police force.
He had made 362 felony captures with his partner and handler Cpl. Kevin Miller.
“He was quite a handful,” Miller said.
“He was trained really well, but he could still misbehave sometimes.”
Arco collapsed at about 1 a.m. Oct. 15 while tracking people who had abandoned a vehicle on a lawn and fled on foot.
“I thought he was dead,” Miller said.
“His legs gave out and his nose went straight into the mud.”
Miller carried the 80-pound dog to their car and took him to a veterinarian.
Before they arrived at the doctor’s office, Arco seemed to revive.
“He had come to and was barking,” Miller said.
The veterinarian told Miller that Arco had suffered a stroke.
“After that, you could tell he wasn’t himself,” Miller said.
“He hadn’t eaten in two weeks and had lost a significant amount of weight.”
After Arco’s death, Miller contacted Drennan & Ford Funeral Home and Crematory and “asked them about having him cremated,” Miller said.
“Even though they said they don’t do that, they gave me an urn and helped me get in contact with some people who will.”
The death of Arco leaves one K-9 officer at the department, Kilo, whose handler is Officer Allen Brusseau.
Miller said it hasn’t been decided if the department would replace Arco.
“That is up in the air right now,” Miller said.
“We did have the two dogs and Arco was the Police Department’s first-ever police dog.”
If Arco is replaced, Miller – a trainer for State Police Canine Association – will train the dog, although he might not be the next dog’s handler.
