HAVERHILL — The loss of a young police K9 prompted the Haverhill Police Department to hold a memorial service last week. Officers stood shoulder to shoulder for a farewell to one of the city’s beloved dogs on duty.
Blue lights flashed silently outside the Police Department on Thursday in mourning of Twister, a 14-month-old police K9 who died last month after a sudden illness.
Dozens of officers attended the service as a motorcade of police motorcycles and patrol cars circled the station’s parking lot. Those in attendance held a salute outside of the building as “Taps” played, followed by a moment of silence.
“Rest easy Twister, we have the watch from here,” the Haverhill Police Department wrote online.
The department asked Twister’s handler, Officer Dan McDonagh, how he wanted the service, and modeled it after his wishes, Capt. Jamie Landry said.
McDonagh said that Twister died from a suspected form of meningitis, and that the dog’s condition worsened rapidly through a weekend last month.
“It was a Friday afternoon,” he said. “We trained normally. No issues, and then a little bit of a slow progression of just not eating and kind of not behaving like his normal self.”
By the end of that weekend, he said the dog’s condition began to go downhill. Twister’s health worsened to the point where McDonagh brought him to an emergency veterinarian and the dog then died on April 26.
Twister, who was a Belgian Malinois-German shepherd mix, was cremated and his remains were brought home by McDonagh.
He was a young pup still in training, and had not yet officially been deployed or responded to calls. The two had recently completed eight weeks of training after partnering up in early March.
“We were just kind of bonding,” McDonagh said. “I was letting him get used to the house and me and then we rolled pretty much right into training the next week.”
McDonagh said he has always been a dog person and raises another Belgian Malinois, Koda, at home. Becoming a K9 officer has been a goal of his since leaving the military in 2019, and he quickly fell in love with the training-game while working with Koda.
Twister was intended to become a dual-purpose K9 trained in patrol work, including tracking, apprehension and evidence searches. While off work, McDonagh said Twister was a dog who showed off his quirks and personality.
“He would’ve died for the ball,” McDonagh said. “I could have thrown that thing off a building and not even thought twice and would’ve just gone right off. When that thing was out it’s like his brain turned off.”
The support was through the roof from both the department and the community following Twister’s death. Posts online announcing his passing received an outpour of positive comments from the public, and McDonagh said that nearly every member of the police force has reached out to him.
Landry said that the four-pawed partner is a “new realm” for the Haverhill Police Department — not just because of how useful the dogs are, but due to the connection they form with officers.
“They’re trained to search for things, to find things and to be rewarded for such, with devotion to their handler.” Landry said. “These dogs sacrifice themselves for officer safety all the time.”
Haverhill’s K9 program first launched in October with the department’s debut dog, Rex, who specializes in ballistics. Officer Justin Graham was a major advocate for establishing the program, and in March, officers said hello to their second pet. Max is a K9 assigned to the behavioral response unit.
McDonagh said he brought home a new K9, Marek, on Wednesday. Marek is also a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois-German shepherd mix, and was imported from Slovakia.
They will soon begin their training as a pair, kicking off the 14-week course before a third police dog is ready for duty.