Law Enforcement Mourns Loss of Beloved Newburgh, New York K9

The Town of Newburgh is mourning the loss of a beloved member of the community.

K9 Durak Has Passed Away

The Town of Newburgh Police Department has shared that a K9 in their department has passed away.

On July 24th, 2024 the Town of Newburgh Police Department wrote on social media "It is with an extremely heavy heart that the Town of Newburgh PD shares the passing of Police K9 Durak."

K9 Durak was a Belgain Malinois and German Sheperd mix, originally from the Netherlands. He started his watch in Newburgh back in September of 2019 and "proudly served" with his handler Officer Thompson as a Patrol and Explosive Detection K9.

The pup is described as a loyal and fearless partner during his time with the Town of Newburgh Police Department. Back on July 21st, members of the police department gathered for K9 Durak's send off

Sadly, K9 Durak passed the day before his 7th birthday which would have been July 22nd, 2024.  The Town of Newburgh Police Department goes on to write:

K9 Durak you will be greatly missed by us all. Thank you for dedicated service to the Town of Newburgh Community. May you rest in peace

 

K9 Durak Assisted in 2020 Attempted Robbery Arrest

On K9 Durak's first day on patrol with his handler Officer Thompson, they assisted in an attempted robbery arrest.

According to a press release from The Town of Newburgh Police Department on October 10th 2020, a man pulled a gun on a woman at a New York State Thruway rest stop and took her money.

The suspect and his accomplice left the scene and hit the woman with their car. The 2 were later apprehended on Quaker Street when Officer Thompson and K9 Durak arrived on the scene. K9 Durak searched a "lengthy area on Quaker Street" along with Officer Thompson and were able to recover the weapon used, which ended up being a stolen handgun.

Saugerties Photographer Captures Special Moments with Senior Pets

Saying goodbye to a pet, whether it be a K9 or a senior pet at home is never easy. Ashley Carroll of Saugerties and owner of Ashley Skye Images is part of an organization called The Tilly Project End of Life Photography.

The mission of the Tilly Project is "to connect pet owners with end-of-life pet photographers across the world and to provide accessible, educational, and supportive resources for photography, anticipatory grief, and pet loss/bereavement" according to their website.

Ashley offers free end of life pet photography for Hudson Valley families. You can see more of Ashley's work below as she documented another police department as they said goodbye to one of their K9s back in 2023: