K9 Hunter

On April 17, 1996, Officer Jeff Kozel and K-9 Hunter responded to a call for assistance with apprehending Jackson James Doss. Hunter located Doss in the backyard of a nearby home, but was shot five times by Doss at point blank range. Hunter did not survive his injuries. He is credited with preventing serious injury and/or death to the officers immediate to the area of Doss’ capture. In his career with the Department, Hunter was responsible for 686 searches and 94 felony arrests. He was able to find several crimes and pieces of evidence that would have been difficult for investigators to find. It is next to impossible to ascertain how many injuries and/or lives were spared because of Hunter. Hunter is the first canine to receive the Canine Medal of Honor.