Amherst’s first police dog passes after battling heart disease

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The Amherst Police Department has announced the passing of K9 Dash after battling with heart disease.

Dash was the first police dog in Amherst who joined the force in September 2014 alongside his handler Sergeant TJ Clark. He was certified in patrol and narcotics detection to be able to sniff out heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and find things like evidence, suspects, or missing people.

The police credit Dash for taking millions of dollars with of drugs off the street, locating suspects, and finding missing/endangered children and elderly people. The police department shared some of Dash’s accomplishments:

• One of Dash’s first finds came when he was just a rookie patrol dog when he successfully tracked down a suspect who was responsible for a string of armed robberies throughout the Town of Amherst.
• Dash and Officer Clark were among the first officers on scene during a homicide that occurred in South Amherst. Dash bravely led the way when he cleared the scene for arriving officers, for which he received a Letter of Merit for his actions on this day. During this same incident, Dash also located a second shooting victim who would have succumbed to his injuries had he not been located and provided immediate medical care.
• Dash earned a second Letter of Merit when he tracked and located an individual involved in a serious domestic violence incident.
• Dash tracked and saved an individual suffering from dementia who had been lost and wandering in the woods on an extremely hot summer day.
• While assisting a neighboring agency, Dash located 3 kilograms of heroin in a hidden compartment inside the floor of a motor vehicle.

Dash was laid to rest on August 26th, after nearly 10 years of service. The public is invited to line Route 9 between the Belchertown town line to the Amherst Police Department during the memorial procession being held on Tuesday, September 10th at 4 p.m.

In lieu of gifts, donations can be made to the Amherst Police Department K9 Gift Fund.

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