A 1-year-old K-9 named Tess has passed away, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced on Tuesday.
Tess died in March from complications during a medical procedure, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. She joined the K-9 Detail team in November of 2014 and was able to both detect explosives and locate victims or suspects by sniffing their trail, a special combination of skills.
"Our dearest Tess, we miss seeing you rocket out of the truck, ready to work. We miss your waggily tail, toothy smile and high energy. We just miss you," the news release said. "We were lucky to have you with us, even if only for a little while."
Tess, a Belgian Malinois, came to the U.S. from Holland when 6 months old and was raised by Deputy Nicholas Castellanos. During her career, she assisted the homicide and major crimes bureau, in addition to helping the arson/explosives detail at high profile dignitary sweeps and local presidential campaign events.
"She was a great dog,” Castellanos said in the news release.
Tess died a few days before her second birthday. A local union advocate covered the costs for her identification and badge to be encased.
Castellanos has been assigned a 19-month-old Belgian Mailnois dog named Xena as his new partner. She began her training as an explosives detection K-9 in June.
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Two tracking and trailing Bloodhounds also recently joined LASD as K-9s: Copper, a two-year-old female and Ox, a 1-year-old male.
