The Clinton Police Department is mourning this week after losing its most experienced search and rescue dog. On Monday, K-9 Hawk passed away after suffering from cancer.
Hawk started training for search and rescue work when he was only 10 weeks old, and has spent the last 13 years serving in Clinton. During that time, Hawk assisted with drownings, fire scenes, murders, evidence recoveries, and missing person cases.
Two years ago, Hawk was diagnosed with a rare form of nasal cancer. He returned to work after several rounds of chemotherapy. But this year, he was diagnosed with a second, more aggressive cancer which took his life.
A memorial and celebration of K-9 Hawk's life will be held at the Clinton County Courthouse on October 9th at 1:30 pm.