NYPD canine officer Hunter did just about everything you could hope for in his 11 years with NYPD. From sniffing out illegal guns to bringing unspeakable joy to children, Hunter certainly fulfilled his duties.
An 11-year-old German shepherd, he ended his watch last week after spending a final, heart-wrenching day with his partner and other NYPD officers before one final walk to an animal hospital on Staten Island.
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“He was probably one of the best canines that a canine-handler could ask for,” said his partner, Detective Chris Bonomo, 45, of Long Island. “He was kind and gentle, but yet when the bell rang, it was time. He did his job. He could just be a dog. Playing ball out in the field, and then going out and getting called for a job.”
Hunter joined the NYPD in 2006 and retired in 2014.
His most challenging duty came in 2010, when he searched the rubble of earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti, looking for life for 15 days in sweltering heat amid unspeakable despair.
And even after retirement, Hunter continued to touch people’s lives. He helped a 6-year-old leukemia patient from Georgia, Karma Little, fulfill her dream of being an NYPD officer for a day.
