County of Kent issued the following announcement on Aug 29.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kent County Sheriff's Office and Deputy Krystal Stuart in the loss of her partner and faithful companion K9 Axel. We thank and honor K9 Axel for his service.
It is with shattered hearts that we inform you of the line of duty death of one of our beloved department canines, K9 Axel, who died after suffering a medical emergency during a short track for a potentially armed home invasion suspect.
"As an agency, we are heartbroken," said Sheriff LaJoye-Young. "A K9 is a partner to their handler and an incredibly special member of our KCSO family. We will forever be grateful for Axel’s service to the residents of Kent County.”
We are already so humbled by the love and support shown to our agency. Members of the Grand Rapids Police Department K9 Unit, the Michigan State Police K9 Unit, the Wyoming Police Department K9 Unit, the Montcalm County Sheriff's Office K9 Unit, the Plainfield Township Fire Department, and the Cedar Springs Fire Department assisted with a procession from Animal Emergency Hospital to Axel's personal vet, Cedar Animal Hospital. Thank you to the dedicated staff at Animal Emergency Hospital and Cedar Animal Hospital for their incredibly caring and comforting hearts.
K9 Axel has been with the KCSO since May 2019. He was our agency’s only explosive detection dog and was assigned to the Community Services Unit with handler Deputy Krystal Stuart. Please keep K9 Axel and Deputy Stuart in your thoughts and prayers.
Original source can be found here.
Source: County of Kent
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