This is a press release courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is sad to announce that we have lost one of our best canines to cancer. K9 "Max" recently received media attention for his 100th capture in just 2 1/2 years.

Max would be 4 1/2 years old now. He and his handler, Deputy Kevin Figueroa, have been working the streets of Washington County together for almost three years. Late last month, Deputy Figueroa learned that Max had an incurable form of canine cancer called Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. The cancer is very aggressive and treatments have shown to be unsuccessful in curing the disease. Deputy Figueroa kept Max as comfortable as he could until the end. On Monday, Feb. 12, at 11:37 p.m., K9 Max was euthanized at a local veterinary hospital.

By all standards, K9 Max was an extraordinary police dog. He reached the milestone of 100 captures in about half the time it takes most K9 teams. Max and Deputy Figueroa worked tirelessly to capture criminals and find evidence, but they also spent time educating the public on the excellent training given to police canines. On occasion Deputy Figueroa and K9 Max would also search for lost people. The last instance was this winter when Max found an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who had become lost after walking away from his home.

Deputies who work with a canine partner become very attached to their dogs. The dogs are incorporated into their home life as well as the many hours they work and train together. Deputy Figueroa is continuing to perform his regular duties and thanks the public for their sympathy and support during this difficult time.

The Washington County K9 program currently has four tracking dogs and one narcotics detection dog in service. One additional K9 team is in training and will soon be the latest addition to the Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit.