Emotional goodbye for New Jersey's Holmdel Police Department, K-9 receives honours on last day
Digital Reporter
Sunday, October 26, 2014, 4:09 PM -
A dog really is a man's best friend, and in some cases, a dog is also a man's best partner in crime prevention. For Joseph Van Pelt, an officer at New Jersey's Holmdel police department, both statements are true.
Van Pelt and his K-9 7, Diogi, were friends at first sight.
"He just walked right to the gate of the crate, licked my face, and I said, 'That, that's gonna be my partner," said Van Pelt.
The duo have been working together for seven years, during which Diogi has received praise for lifesaving and criminal apprehension. Diogi, a German shepherd, helped in finding missing children and adults with Alzheimer's, while also assisting in hundreds of narcotics investigations that led to numerous arrests.
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At an honourary ceremony at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital Friday morning, Diogi was laid to rest after battling an aggressive and inoperable cancer. He was eight years old.
"It's 100% love. It's 100% loyalty. It's 100% dedication to we have to each other. It's just a total, complete bond," Van Pelt said of his relationship with Diogi.
Dozens of K-9 officers and their partners gathered at the veterinary in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, for one final goodbye.
With files from CNN. Photos courtesy of NJ.com.
