Officer Baro has served his community well. Now it's time for him to retire to the good life he's earned.
The 9-year-old German Shepherd has left active duty as a K9 with the Newtown Police Department and will now head home with his longtime partner and handler, Officer Felicia Figol.
When Figol noticed Baro wasn't feeling well, she took him into Newtown Veterinary Specialists for a check-up and learned he was suffering from heart disease that would require him to retire.
"Baro has earned a well-deserved rest," police officials said in a statement. "Our officers will miss the service and strong comforting presence that Baro brought to our community. As we search for our new K9, we know that if he is anything like Baro, Newtown will be served well."
With Baro gone, Newtown is temporarily without a police dog. Fortunately, Newtown has been generous in the past, assisting other towns that didn't have a K9, and neighboring towns will repay the favor for the time -- including Monroe, Brookfield, Bethel, Seymour and Danbury.
In the meantime, police are putting together a plan to gather funds for a new dog -- estimated at between $10,000 and $20,000, including training.
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