Man, woman — or in some cases, an animal — the loss of a dedicated police officer has a great effect on an entire department.
That point is very clear for the Willoughby Police Department, as retired K9 Loki died at the age of 10, having retired from active duty in September of 2022.
K9-handler bond can’t be duplicated, Willoughby officers say
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Matt Neath and his family,” Police Chief Jim Schultz stated in a Facebook post. “Sergeant Neath and Loki were partnered together and protected our city for 9 years. Sergeant Neath and Loki were a part of our strong Lake County law enforcement K9 group that trained multiple times a month to continue improving their skills.”
Schultz continued in the Facebook post: “Loki was a friend to our community, always protected our officers, and was loved by many. Loki and Sergeant Neath were an outstanding pair patrolling our streets.
Schultz went on to note that the opportunity to work with Loki wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the support of the Willoughby Fraternal Order of Eagles and the training by the Shallow Creek Kennels.
Neath recently received a financial award from the Veterans and First Responders Foundation’s Howling Heroes division providing five retired police K-9s and their families the K-9 Guardian Award of $5,000 per year for medical and wellness expenses such as office visits, prescriptions, accidents or illnesses, rehabilitation, physical therapy and ultimately cremation services.
He was emotional and quick with a response to the passing of Loki.
“All I can say is he was an amazing partner, an incredible friend and a wonderful family member,” Neath said.
