K9 Named For Slain Cop Retires From Montco Police Department

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, PA — A police canine from this Montgomery County community who started on the job less than a year after the on-duty killing of the force's K9 handler has officially retired from duty.

'Fox,' the K9 dog at the Plymouth Township Police Department, had begun his career back in August 2013, 11 months after the killing of Plymouth Township Police Officer Brad Fox.

The dog was named for the late officer, who was killed in September 2012 after being fatally shot by a suspect he was chasing along the Schuylkill River Trail in an area of Plymouth Township near Conshohocken Borough.

Brad Fox had been partnered with a K9 named Nick at the time of the fatal shooting. Nick was also shot during the encounter, but he survived his wounds.

Related: Remembering Plymouth Township Officer Brad Fox 9 Years Later

K9 'Fox' was purchased in 2013 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the Plymouth Township Police Department.

He completed his basic training and went on to become certified as a dual purpose K9, specializing in both regular patrol duties as well as explosives detection, according to the department.

The dog went on to spend his entire 9-year career partnered up with human Officer Jon Monaghan.

He will now live with the officer's family as he basks in his retirement years.

"Fox, we love you and wish you a long and happy retirement with the Monaghan Family," the Plymouth Township Police Department posted in a Facebook message.

During his career, 'Fox' assisted in numerous felony apprehensions, including helping out with the detection and capture of a prison inmate who had escaped the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, according to the police department.

The dog also worked to track a bank robbery suspect and once helped apprehend a burglar who had hidden himself within a narrow attic space that the human officers had trouble accessing.

'Fox' also helped sweep events for possible explosives, assisted in the service of search warrants and swept gatherings for firearms.

The police dog was also a known presence at public K9 demonstrations and made annual visits to sick children at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Brad Fox was killed by Andrew C. Thomas, 44, who had hidden himself from law enforcement during the chase and ultimately shot and killed the officer as he approached.

Thomas, a convicted felon who was not allowed by law to be in possession of a firearm, then turned the gun on himself and died by suicide.

Brad Fox died on Sept. 13, 2012, one day before his 35th birthday.

He left behind a wife, a 5-month-old daughter, and another child who had not yet been born at the time of his death.