Police dog killed in line of duty

A highly trained German shepherd police dog, Larry, and his handler, officer Ahn Seong-hyun. Larry, seven-and-a-half years old, died of a snake bite in the line of duty, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency

By Lee Kyung-min

A highly trained German shepherd police dog was killed in the line of duty after being bitten by a snake, the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency said, Tuesday.

Police plan to make a bronze plate in honor of the dog's contribution to police work and display it at the police station.

According to the Daegu police, the seven-and-a-half-year old Larry, who helped police search for missing people, was bitten on the left rear paw by a snake on a mountain in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, while searching for a missing person July 23.

The dog was taken to a veterinary clinic but died at 5:30 a.m. the next day.

Since starting police work in August 2012, Larry has helped officers in 39 felony cases and 171 missing persons reports over the six years, according to his handler, officer Ahn Seong-hyun.

In May last year, the police dog played a key role in solving what could have otherwise remained an unsolved murder in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

Larry found the body of a woman buried 70 centimeters underground about 30 meters from a trekking course in a mountainous area. The discovery provided a major clue to the murder case where police had no evidence other than a statement from the victim's husband who reported the wife missing to police before committing suicide.

In memory of Larry, the police cremated the dog and held a funeral ceremony. The officers plan to make a bronze plate in honor of Larry's contribution to police work over the past six years and hang it near the entrance of the police forensics department.

This was the first death “in the line of duty” among 16 police dogs deployed since 2012 at metropolitan police agencies to help locate missing persons and investigate crime scenes.