FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Staff with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are mourning the loss of a beloved K-9.
K-9 Sasha died Wednesday from an unexpected medical condition while being boarded at a local veterinarian’s office.
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The five-year-old German Shepard began serving Franklin County in 2018 after being donated by Erich Grasso of Grasso Dog Training and Shepherds in Connecticut. The connection was made through a grant from K9′s United in Jacksonville, Florida.
According to the sheriff’s office, Sasha came from a strong line of dogs, with her father serving as a patrol dog with NYPD and her sister, a bomb protection dog with the NBA.
Sasha specialized in Narcotics Detection and Tracking, and assisted with numerous arrests and thousands of dollars worth of narcotics being seized from the community. The K-9 also tracked and located missing persons and fleeing criminals.
According to the sheriff’s office, “Sasha may have been smaller than other working dogs, but she was mighty in her impact.”
“The unexpected loss of Sasha hurts this Office of the Sheriff family. Please keep her handlers, Deputy Patterson and Deputy Alejandro, as well as her human mama, Audrey, and her human sisters, Teagan and Dani, in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
To view the sheriff’s office’s video tribute to K-9 Sasha, click here.