Life & Culture

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Law enforcement K-9s remembered for "tireless service"

More than 75 K-9 service dogs from area police and sheriff's departments are honored at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor where they have been interred.

By Douglas R. Clifford

Published Mar. 9

Updated Mar. 9

[object Object] — Kayla Robinson, of St. Petersburg, pauses to meet Slyk, a patrol and explosives K-9 with the Pinellas Park Police Department, at the conclusion of the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — Police officers and sheriff’s deputies observe a moment of silence with their K-9 partners while attending the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. The 13th annual service honored K-9 service dogs from area police and sheriff's departments including the Clearwater Police Department, the Pinellas Park Police Department and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, who attended to remember the retired K-9s who have passed away. This year 75 dogs are interred at the Memory Gardens where three new dogs have been memorialized. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — Taco, a German shepherd, attends the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, with his hander, Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy Matt Aitken, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times

[object Object] — Kevin Andress, a retired corporal with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, remembers his K-9 partner, Riggs, a trained patrol and explosives dog, while attending the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. The 13th annual service honored K-9 service dogs from area police and sheriff's departments including the Clearwater Police Department, the Pinellas Park Police Department and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, who attended to remember the retired K-9s who have passed away. This year 75 dogs are interred at the Memory Gardens where three new dogs, including Riggs, have been memorialized. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — Clearwater Police officers Todd Turpack and Paul Balmer, right, with the department’s honor guard, attend the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

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[object Object] — Shannon Torney, or Traverse City, Michigan, tours the Memory Gardens where 75 dogs are interred on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — A pair of Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office helicopters fly over the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — Police officers and sheriff’s deputies congregate with their K-9 partners at the Law Enforcement Memorial Service on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

[object Object] — A grave marker for Riggs, a patrol and explosives dog with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, is among three new markers at the Memory Gardens on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. Riggs was among 75 deceased K-9 service dogs honored during the 13th annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service hosted at the cemetery on Tuesday. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD

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Douglas R. Clifford
Photographer

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