Cops in Durham Region are mourning the unexpected death of one of their police service dogs.
Durham Regional Police say Flex died Friday with his handler, Det.-Const. Adam Handscomb and family, and the K9 team by his side.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the sudden passing of active Police Service Dog Flex,” police said in a statement released on X. “As we mourn the loss of police service dog Flex, we honour his contributions and the impact he has made on community safety.”
“Thank you for your service police service dog Flex,” police added.
Flex was born in the Czech Republic on June 29, 2015, and joined the police service that same year as a general-purpose police service dog.
Flex was cross-trained in cadaver detection, supporting “numerous” major crime investigations, police said.
“Flex became more than just a member of the DRPS team, he was a loyal partner and a brave protector who served our community with unwavering dedication,” police said. “As the longest serving police dog in DRPS’ current K9 unit, PSD Flex had a remarkable nearly nine-year career.”
Flex and Handscomb responded to more than 5,000 calls, contributing more than 2,500 hours of service, police said.