The Gainesville Police Department is mourning the sudden death of one of its K-9 dogs.
Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish confirmed Friday that K-9 Ryker, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, suffered a medical episode during a training exercise Thursday in Douglas County.
"(Ryker) started getting lethargic and then went into active seizures. He was rushed to a veterinarian, where they began to administer care to him, but throughout the day his condition worsened," Parrish said. "I'm not 100 percent sure what led to the seizures, but it appears he had some underlying health conditions related to an enlarged heart and some lung issues that, most likely, were developing that we didn't see that can be common in that breed."
Parrish said the passing of Ryker is a major loss for the department. He said a procession was held by the department along Browns Bridge Road to Memorial Park Funeral Home where Ryker was cremated Thursday evening.
"It's a huge loss for the Gainesville Police Department, and especially his handler and our whole K-9 team," Parrish said. "This is (the handler's) best friend and partner. They're not just dogs, they're part of the handler's family."
Parrish said Ryker had been with the department for over three years and was a key part of their operations.
"Numerous criminals that fled from us, his nose hunted them down to their hiding spots, and just thousands and thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs and narcotics were taken off the streets of Gainesville because of Ryker's nose," Parrish said.
Parrish said the training that Ryker was undergoing was routine, with the dogs usually taking part in some form of training on a weekly basis.
As for filling the role on the K-9 team left vacant by Ryker's death, Parrish said it will likely take several months.
"Most of our dogs come from overseas, and because the seasons are starting to get hot, the breeders over there are not shipping dogs into the United States," Parrish said. "We will not be able to replace him for probably another five or six months when temperatures cool down and dogs get shipped back over to the kennels here in America that we buy them from, so I would say late fall into winter."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/5/1291223/gainesville-police-mourn-loss-of-k-9-ryker