Police Say Goodbye As Beloved San Ramon K-9 Succumbs To Cancer

SAN RAMON, CA — It was an emotional final journey Sunday morning for Hector, the San Ramon Police Department K-9 officer, and his handler Officer Allen Molien, as a procession along city streets honored the 7-year-old dog who succumbed to cancer Sunday, a department spokesman said.

Hector had been with the department for about five years, said police Capt. Denton Carlson. Diagnosed with cancer several months ago, Hector had missed time in recent months undergoing chemotherapy, and had been back on the job for about a month when, in the last few days, the cancer "just came back with a vengeance," Carlson said. "We were told that might be the way it would happen."

With Hector increasingly in pain, plans were made quickly for a procession to honor him, Carlson said. Molien and Hector arrived at the south edge of the city at about 11 a.m. today, and from there the procession went north up San Ramon Valley Boulevard to Bollinger Canyon Road, and then east to a veterinary clinic where Hector was put to sleep.

"It was tough," Carlson said. "Hector knew when to focus on work ... but when he was back at the station, he was just a great dog to be around."

By Bay City News

Photos, video embed courtesy San Ramon Police Department