A Touching Tribute To A Hero Named Zeus

Being a dog lover, this story really touched me. It’s the story of a beloved K-9 named Zeus, and his final ride. And a community that came to say goodbye.

Zeus:

The story took place in the quaint New England town of Ridgefield, Connecticut. My town. A town that looks and feels like a Norman Rockwell painting. Warm and friendly people reside here. And many animal lovers, as was especially evident on this sunny Spring afternoon.

Zeus, a heroic and loyal K-9 dog, served our community as an important member of the Ridgefield Police Department, for 8 years. That’s 56 people years! Over the years, Zeus worked as a member of the RPD team and also became a much-loved member of the community, performing hundreds of demonstrations for the public.

During Zeus’ career, he was responsible for over 250 narcotics arrests, and conducted over 50 tracks for missing or wanted individuals. He has truly kept our town safe! A true hero.

Last year, at 11-years-old, Zeus retired. In the past year, his health has failed and sadly a date was set for his final ride in the K-9 unit. Every animal lover knows how hard it is to say goodbye. But it was his time.

Since Zeus has been such an important member of the town, the RPD decided to include the whole community in his farewell. So they welcomed neighbors to line the streets of Main Street to say “thank you” and goodbye to Zeus as he took his final ride.

The Final Ride:

Sadly, Zeus took that farewell ride. But hundreds of residents, Zeus’ fellow RPD officers, and surrounding towns’ officers all turned out. Everyone saluted as his K-9 unit drove by. Especially touching was that several neighboring towns’ K-9 units came to pay their respects as well.

As expected, there was not a dry eye on Main Street. It was a truly touching tribute to a well-deserving hero.

I was proud of my community today, and the love and respect they showed this amazing member of our town.

Thank you Zeus. For all you did for your town. You will be missed.

More info: momentsbigandsmall.com