Furry cop a trooper to the end
By Laurel J. Sweet
Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - Updated: 03:36 AM EST
He was supposed to be the hot dog — the anti-establishment cop with the nickname “Hollywood” who streaked his hair and blared rap music from his pickup truck on his way to saving the world.
Then he met her and, as he put it, “lost my swagger.”
“She had so much dignity and grace. She made me a better person and for that I’m very grateful,” an emotional Trooper Eric Gahagan said yesterday.
His reverent words were for Jackie, his late, leggy K9 partner in the state Fire Marshal’s bomb squad, who succumbed to a lifelong battle with kidney disease on Jan. 26 at the age of 7.
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Dr. Mary Labato had assured Gahagan, his wife, Danielle, and son, Brendan, that Jackie would tell them when it was time to let go.
Resolved the end was near, Gahagan spent the day she died at home telling Jackie he loved her. She showed him the same by sparing him the decision to put her down. “She died in my arms,” Gahagan said. “I was crying my eyes out. I called her name and she took her last breath looking at me.”
A black Labrador retriever raised as a pup by prison inmates, Jackie worked until the end. Her final call to duty was Gov. Mitt Romney’s State of the State Address last month.
On Friday, the call came from Tufts that Jackie’s ashes were ready to go home, the earthly remains of an other-worldly life in which she was scratched by American presidents and blessed by the Dalai Lama.
“I asked if we could meet with him,” Gahagan said of the holy man who last visited here in 2003. “They say if he touches you you’re supposed to receive good health for many years. God knows she (Jackie) needed it.”
Gahagan, 35, hung Jackie’s leather collar from his truck’s steering wheel to remind him of the best friend who, despite her pain and daily medical demands, inspired him with get-up-and-go.
“I don’t think we realize how much these animals do for us until they’re gone,” Gahagan said. “They make a house a home.”
Posted by: Sniper
sad story..............
Posted by: RPD931
Very sad. Anyone who owns a dog can relate to the emotions of this loss. A dog is a family member.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops