East Idaho police K9 found dead

IDAHO FALLS — We are sad to share the news of the death of one of our K9 officers, K9 Diezel, after an unexpected medical issue.

Diezel, a 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd, had been with the Idaho Falls Police Department for about a year and was in the process of becoming certified as a Narcotics Detection and Patrol Work K9 with his handler.

Diezel, who was off-duty and at home at the time, was found deceased early in the afternoon on Monday, August 26th by his handler. The handler and Diezel had played together earlier in the day and Diezel appeared to be in good health. A necropsy, performed Monday evening, showed that Diezel had a large tumor on his heart that appears to have caused his death.

Our K9s are valued and respected members of the IFPD team. To lose Diezel unexpectedly like this, at the start of a promising career serving our community, is upsetting. This is especially true for his handler, who knew and loved him best.

The Idaho Falls Police Department would like to thank the staff at Idaho Falls Veterinary Hospital for their professionalism and compassionate care for K9 Diezel and our team.