Monroe County police dog, Sari, dies on the job after decade of service

Days before her retirement, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department’s K-9 officer, Sari, has died.

The 12-year-old German shepherd had served the sheriff’s department for just short of a decade.

“She was supposed to retire Aug. 1,” Sari’s handler, Lt. James Lansing said. “That would have been her 10th anniversary, she started work on Aug. 1, 2005.”

But Sari never was able to enjoy her retirement. The day Lansing decided her career would end, Monday, she got sick, and he took her to the vet. There, a mass was discovered on the dog’s liver.

On Monday Sari had a bad day. She fell over at one point and Lansing called the veterinarian, sensing that the end was near.

The vet told Lansing he’d meet him at his home where, if he had to put the animal down, it would be the most comfortable.

“She was in her favorite place, in the back seat of my car,” Lansing said. “I went back there to pick her up when I got home. She looked up at me, took one breath, and she was gone.”

During her career, Sari’s accomplishments included tracking down a missing 4-year-old girl in a bean field and numerous drug busts.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department will hold a funeral for Sari on Saturday, Aug. 1. It will be held at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Columbia. She will be buried with honors in the police dog cemetery in Sauget.

Lansing said the sheriff’s department has two young dogs that are ready to try to fill Sari’s paw prints — Reggie, who started March 1, and Kondor, who began service in April.

Deputies Justin Mendenhall and Ed Ahne will handle the new dogs. Lansing, 55, said he’s too close to retirement to take one.

“When I got Sari, I was a deputy,” Lansing said. “She helped me get promoted to sergeant and then to lieutenant. So it’s time for someone else to have their turn.”

“We’ve had several people who have called to ask if they could make a donation is Sari’s memory,” Lansing said. “If they’d like to donate, the money will go to a fund to take care of our dogs, providing things like food, equipment for them and kennels.”

Donations can be sent to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department at 225 E. Third St., Waterloo, IL, 62298.

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 7:03 AM with the headline "Monroe County police dog, Sari, dies on the job after decade of service."