State police are mourning two of their four-legged officers this weekend after two K-9 investigation dogs died just days apart.
The Connecticut State Police on Saturday announced the passing of K-9 Elmer, a 6-year-old dog who had served with the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit since 2020. Elmer, who was assigned to Detective Dave Collins, died of medical complications, state police said.
Over his three-year career, state police said Elmer assisted at “numerous” fire scenes, helping investigators locate evidence. He also helped train fire investigators and worked with officials to educate the public about fire safety, according to state police.
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“K-9 Elmer was loved by all and will be sorely missed,” state police said.
Elmer passed away less than three days after state police announced that another K-9, K-9 Drago, had died of medical complications.
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Facebook posts show that Drago — a 6-year-old narcotics detection K-9 who police said had “successfully located countless wanted suspects, missing persons, as well as a large quantity of illicit narcotics” — had been experiencing health issues for over a year.
State police announced last February that Drago had been diagnosed with gastric dilatation-volvulus — also known as “bloat” — a dangerous medical condition in which the stomach twists and flips. Drago later returned to duty after veterinary surgeons were able to successfully remedy the life-threatening condition, state police said.
Then, in April of this year, Drago began experiencing “serious gastrointestinal issues” that state police said are “typically terminal.”
But veterinary surgeons who “refused to give up on Drago” performed what police called a “‘Hail Mary’ surgery” to allow his stomach to heal. The K-9 made a “miraculous” recovery, police said, and was discharged from a veterinary hospital in mid-June after six weeks. Drago had been expected to return to duty in mid-July.
“K-9 Drago was a beloved member of Troop C, and made an immeasurable impact on the safety of the citizens of Tolland County, the State of Connecticut, and the Connecticut State Police as a whole,” state police said.
Elmer and Drago are now the second and third Connecticut State Police K-9s to die in the last seven months following K-9 Broko's line-of-duty death last December.
