After K-9 dies unexpectedly, Wasilla police ask residents to help pay for a new dog

WASILLA — The police department in Wasilla lost its only K-9 officer in April.

Now the 25-officer department in a city of 9,000 hopes residents will help it get a new one.

Marshal, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, died suddenly April 9.

Unlike two Alaska State Troopers K-9s shot in the line of duty in the Valley over the past year, Marshal was killed by cancer. He was euthanized the same day a veterinarian found inoperable masses in his abdomen. His handler, Sgt. Don Ridge, had noticed the dog was lethargic and moving stiffly.

"I miss the dog. He was my partner. He was there every day," Ridge said Thursday.

He said that in two months without Marshal, he has missed him professionally during foot chases, potential drug arrests and searches.

Marshal had 632 police "deployments" in Wasilla, nearly half of them drug sniffs, which turned up drugs in all but eight instances, according to his end-of-watch release from the police department. He stopped 55 suspects in "felonious or violent crimes," the department said. "Very rarely was an actual bite needed to apprehend a suspect."

Now the police chief is asking residents of Wasilla to help the department buy a replacement.

"At a time in which the loss was unexpected, so is the expense of replacement," Wasilla Police Chief Gene Belden wrote in a letter to "fellow citizens" posted by the department this week. "There are extensive costs associated with the purchase and training of a new K9 partner."

Belden put the estimated replacement cost at $30,000 to $50,000.

Any money raised beyond the purchase cost will go toward dog care, maintenance, training and certifications, he said.

Ridge said the timing of replacement depends on donations, training schedules and other factors. It may be fall before a new dog can start work.

He said it's not unusual for a smaller department without a separate K-9 unit and budget to ask the public to help with costs.

"It's very difficult to budget for when a dog is going to quit working," Ridge said. "Marshal was very healthy and we anticipated a few more years with him."

To donate, make a check payable to the City of Wasilla and write "Police K9 Donation" in the memo section. Checks can be mailed, delivered to the police department or city finance department for a receipt, or dropped at city hall in the payment box.