Some goodbyes come with dignity, and this one came with chocolate.
K9 Mirk, a beloved police dog with the Brea Police Department, died on June 17 after a ruptured tumor was discovered on his spleen, causing internal bleeding.
According to the Brea K9 Foundation, there was nothing that could be done to save him. What the department and his handlers could do, though, was make sure his final hours were spent exactly the way he would have wanted.
Video shared by the foundation shows Mirk outside, surrounded by the officers who knew him best, doing the thing he loved most: biting down on a padded training sleeve one final time, tail up, fully in his element, while officers cheered him on.
“One last walk out. One last bite,” read text over the footage.
Afterward, Mirk was brought inside, where an officer sat beside him and fed him something that had been off limits for his entire working life: chocolate.
According to the foundation, Mirk had spent his whole career being “a good boy,” never once getting a taste of it, and in his final moments, he finally did.
“He loved them so much,” the caption read.
The video ends with Mirk resting peacefully beside an American flag, an officer kneeling quietly at his side.
The Brea K9 Foundation was originally created to support Mirk and his fellow K9, Kodiak, providing them with equipment like ballistic vests.
Now, in the wake of Mirk’s death, the foundation is working to raise funds toward Brea’s next police K9, along with training, veterinary care, and equipment for the department’s future K9 teams.
“The Foundation may have started in part to help protect Mirk,” the organization wrote, “but now Mirk’s legacy will help protect the K9s who come after him.”
They were careful to add that no dog will ever replace him, but that his legacy can help make sure whoever comes next has what they need to serve safely.
Rest easy, K9 Mirk. Thank you for your service, and for every bite along the way.
Source:
1. brea_k9_foundation
2. ktla – “Brea police K9 gets final training bite, tastes chocolate before death”