MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Miami-Dade Correctional and Rehabilitation Department, is mourning the death of a beloved K-9 officer.
Police said 9-year-old Gideon, seen in the above photo, died Sunday after battling an illness.
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According to MDCR, Gideon began suffering from health issues in March, and after waging a valiant battle, succumbed to his illness.
Authorities said Gideon, a Labrador Retriever, was born in Colombia on Oct. 10, 2014.
After completing canine detection handler school, Gideon was paired with Miami-Dade officer Karlos Ramos in 2016 and worked on protecting multiple facilities in the community.
According to police, he also assisted in contraband and perimeter searches to help maintain institutional safety and security in Miami-Dade County.
Detectives said Gideon proved himself as a “tremendous asset” to the department and would become known as one of the county’s most effective canine officers.
“Gideon means ‘mighty warrior’, and that’s what K9 Officer Gideon was to us,”' detectives said in a Facebook post.
During his career, Gideon had well over 2,900 training hours with nearly 120,000 career sniffs, Miami-Dade police said.
Investigators said Gideon’s favorite part of the job was getting to visit with the numerous kids over the years at the various demonstrations with organizations and schools.
The department wrote on its Facebook page, “Though K-9 Officer Gideon was with us for only eight years, he leaves behind a legacy that will always be remembered.”