K-9 Officer Hunter served with the Middletown Police Department in Connecticut for ten years before receiving his cancer diagnosis along with his partner Michael D’Aresta and their co-workers.

And on his last day on Earth, they wanted him to know exactly how much they adore him.

During his time in law enforcement, Hunter risked his life every day to keep the neighborhood safe. His devoted contributions to the force came to a devastating conclusion lately after his health unexpectedly worsened:

“K-9 Hunter has been sick for the past few days and when tests were performed they discovered that K9 Hunter has a very aggressive form of liver cancer. Unfortunately they suggested he be euthanized,” said Middletown K-9 Supervisory Sgt. Doug Clark wrote online.

The prognosis was especially harsh for D’Aresta, who had to make the painful decision to put his partner to sleep, but he was not alone in his sadness. Flanked by his fellow officers outside the veterinary office when he arrived on that tragic day, D’Aresta held Hunter in his arms as he received a final salute from those he served so loyally.

“Officer D’Aresta and Hunter have been an incredible team that has served the city of Middletown with great caliber since 2007,” Clark wrote. “As you can imagine, this is really stressful for Mike and his family.”

Middletown is home to a population of just under 50,000, but because of the touching way the police department said goodbye to K-9 Hunter, his legacy is now known to many more people across the country and the world. , and that is a legacy that will last. It will soon be forgotten.