The Oshkosh Police Department is mourning the unexpected passing of K-9 Magic. (Oshkosh Police Department)
Oshkosh, Wis.
A police department in Wisconsin is mourning the death of one of its K-9s.
On Monday, the Oshkosh Police Department reported that a therapy dog named Magic tragically passed away after a cancer diagnosis.
According to the department, K-9 Magic became unexpectedly ill over the weekend and it was discovered that she had cancer surrounding her heart and other organs.
Medical staff determined there was nothing further they could do to help her recover so the decision was made to euthanize the pup to end her pain, police shared.
Magic was a 3-year-old golden retriever who was acquired by the department in March 2022 from Journey Together, a program that trains dogs to help people with PTSD.
Authorities said Magic helped provide emotional support to both community members and police officers. She also worked with the behavioral health department.
The 3-year-old pup would respond with officers to behavioral health-related calls and highly sensitive or emotional calls for service.
Magic had 364 deployments during her 20 months of service with the department.
“Magic was such a kind and happy dog with the softest fur. If we had a dollar for every time someone mentioned how soft she was, we’d have a never-ending supply of her favorite treats,” the department said in a statement.
Police also noted a recent situation when Magic attended a critical incident stress debriefing for officers. She selected a specific officer who was impacted out of a room full of first responders.
“Magic’s intuition was like no other. This was just one specific example of how Magic impacted and helped others,” the department said.