COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Cobb County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday memorialized K-9 Deputy Athos, who died after a battle with cancer last month.
Deputies gathered to pay tribute to the 7-year-old German Shepherd, who'd been with the sheriff's office since December 2017.
“We built our bond on trust and a deep emotional connection. Athos was more than my partner; he was my best friend and my family. He was the nose and eyes that I didn’t have. He had an incredible sense of smell that was used several times to help find people," said Deputy Anita Lucas-Dykstra, the partner and handler of K-9 Athos.
The sheriff's office passed along photos from the services, seen in the gallery below:
Remembering K-9 Athos
The sheriff's office credited Athos with locating several people and articles of evidence in his career, including helping locate a missing 10-year-old boy with autism in June.
"On another callout, Athos located a 15-year-old boy, who had made threats of suicide. He was able to locate the boy in the woods near his high school just by smelling his bicycle seat. The boy was unharmed and was able to receive further medical treatment," the sheriff's office said.
Col. Ryan Mehling with the sheriff's office said K-9 Athos "was a beloved deputy of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office" who "touched many people's lives through his work and attendance at community events."
