"I’ve lost my first colleague," lamented a member of the Tracking Unit (K9) of the Pahang contingent police headquarters (IPK), Sergeant Patrick Sandai who lost his partner, a dog named Tho, due to old age.

Patrick, 40, said he was beside Tho at the K9 Unit here, all day yesterday, after seeing the dog, aged 12 years and eight months, almost lifeless since morning, before being pronounced dead at 7.30 pm.

Tho, a Labrador, was born on Jan 30, 2008 in China and served as a narcotics detection dog. Patrick, on the other hand, has been serving in the K9 Unit for 20 years, but started as a driver before teaming up with Tho.

“I had been with Tho since it was eight months old. We both trained at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre (PULAPOL) for four months before being given the trust to work as partners due to our compatibility.

“We participated in many operations at nightclubs, ports, airports and various other locations regardless of the time. During our time together, never once did Tho disappoint me," he told Bernama, here, today.

Patrick said before moving to IPK Pahang on June 1, 2018, they were both attached to the Criminal Investigation Department of IPK Johor and were involved in busting many drug smuggling operations.

The native of Bintulu, Sarawak is much affected by the loss as Tho had a loving and caring nature, often rubbing itself against his legs to invite him to 'play' if it sensed that his partner was not up to it while on duty.

Tho’s health started to decline three months ago due to old age and deteriorated since three weeks ago when it refused to eat and hardly moved, preferring to stay in its cage.

So weak was Tho that Patrick had to carry it to the veterinary clinic last Wednesday at which time the doctor informed that Tho had a slim chance of surviving.

“Although the doctor estimated it had another week to live, I could feel that yesterday was its last day because it was lying all day and vomited each time it was eating.

"In fact, it did not respond when I called its name. Usually, Tho would open its eyes and wagged its tail. Because of that, I spent all day with Tho until I finally realised it was no longer breathing," he said.

Tho's death, which was shared on the IPK Pahang official Facebook page, received reaction from netizens who were also saddened by the departure, while some expressed gratitude for the dog's services.

-- BERNAMA