A dog has one aim in life. To bestow his heart. - J.R. Ackerley

He is your friend , your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be ours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Unknown

Another great tragedy has befallen the law enforcement community. Ike, 2-year veteran K9 for the Palm Springs Police Department in California has died in the line of duty doing what he does best - chasing down criminals.

It all started slightly after 1am Sunday when two officers recognized and attempted to make contact with a wanted parolee. The man fled when the officers tried to stop him. One of the officers, a K9 handler released Ike for the chase through a residential area.

What probably should have been an easy take down erupted into chaos when the parolee began to fire his gun, hitting Ike's handler, a 5-year veteran in the right side of his body striking his vest. Ike sustained fatal injuries during the exchange and died at the scene. He is the first K9 to die in the line of duty in the history of the Palm Springs police K9 program. The suspect also died from sustained gunshot wounds.

Both officers were treated for their injuries and released on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted.
 
Further information regarding donations can be found at this site: Donations Accepted For Fallen Palm Springs Police Dog
 
I personally wanted to include Ike in the roll call post for the end of month as I feel he should be recognized and remembered alongside his human brothers and sisters in blue. Thus far, I haven't seen anything posted on the ODMP page. So I have place his name along with department, end of watch, cause of death and news article of what took place. My thoughts and prayers go out to his department, his handler and his handler's family. They have all suffered a great loss.

(photo courtesy of Palm Springs Police Dog "Ike" Remembered as a "Hero")