Canine Hero Hall Of Fame

Andor

In the words of his handler and owner, Deputy Robert Wann, San Antonio, Texas, "K-9 Andor was a duel purpose state certified Police K-9 Narcotic/Patrol Dog. Andor was a faithful partner and was always ready for the call of duty, day or night, to serve the citizens of Bexar County. Andor made sure I was always safe. It truly broke my heart when I lost my best friend and K-9 partner, Andor #007."

At 6-foot-1 and nearly 300 pounds, Bexar County sheriff's Deputy Robert Wann does not cry often, certainly not easily or in front of strangers. But when his partner of three years, a soulful-eyed Belgian malinois named K-9 Andor, died two weeks ago, Wann wept for days.

"I didn't think it would affect me like this," Wann said. "But he would listen to my problems. He was my partner."

Losing Andor, he said, "broke my heart."

So Wann sought help from his supervisor, whom he knew to be a dog lover, and the two planned the department's first canine funeral service, complete with a three-volley salute, a lone bugler and all the other traditional trappings of a law enforcement officer's funeral.

Friday, deputies escorted a solemn funeral procession to the Sheriff's Office training academy, headed by a grey limousine holding Wann's family.

"It may seem unusual," said Sgt. Tammy Burr, who helped organize the service. "But we wanted to make sure we do the proper thing. The dog deserves the same respect, per se, as any other law enforcement officer."

Jim Watson, secretary of the North American Police Work Dog Association, said full-honors funerals for police dogs are increasingly common because "not only is it like an officer, but it's like a member of that officer's family."

"It's just as hard as losing a human partner," he said. Described as a "light switch" because of his ability to shift from friendly pet to snarling terror, Andor was put down June 27 after suffering cervical spinal cord compression, a degenerative genetic condition that his veterinarian said may have been aggravated by his work.

In her eulogy, Burr told the crowd of mostly uniformed law enforcement officers and several four-legged colleagues that Andor had a history of "unselfish service."

"While he didn't receive one red cent for his service, he never complained about his working conditions, lack of time off or his benefits package," Burr said. "He was content to work for the pure joy of the job and a small amount of praise."

Hailing from Holland, Andor was acquired by the Sheriff's Office from the Hill Country Dog Center in 2003. Deputy Steve Benoy, who trains the department's canines, said Andor had "one of the best personalities as far as being a police dog."

"It was like working with a 5-year-old kid that's excited all the time," he said.

A patrol and narcotics dog who received his commands in Dutch, Andor signaled a find by sitting down. One of his most notable was 9 kilograms of cocaine under a panel in the back seat of a Kia. Another time, he sniffed out $130,000 in cash on a Drug Enforcement Agency sting.

Deputy Nadia Ben Kacem, who worked with Andor while she was on the gang detail, said, "I had no fear when I was with him."

She recalled trying to arrest and handcuff two gang members by herself and telling them: "I'm not a sprinter. But guess what. My partner in the back is."

At home, Andor was sweet-tempered and docile. He had an especially close bond with Wann's father, who was then in a wheelchair and who died in the past year, and would often rest his head in the man's lap.

But as soon as Wann put on his uniform, "it was serious stuff, it was business," said his wife, Karen Wann. "I tried to give my husband a kiss one time, and he was snapping his teeth. He wanted a part of me."

After Andor was diagnosed in October, Wann planned on keeping him. But over the past month, the 67-pound "freight train" rapidly lost strength. His physical motor skills deteriorated to the point that he fell into Wann's pool while setting off on a urinating trip.

"I just couldn't watch it," said Wann, who plans to add Andor's ashes to the glass cabinet holding his father's remains in the living room.

Friday, after a bugler sounded taps and Wann was handed a Texas flag, a sheriff's dispatcher called repeatedly for K-9 Andor over the radio. Hearing no response, she set off the beeping tone that typically indicates an officer is in trouble.

"K-9 Andor has successfully completed his final duty," the dispatcher concluded. "Badge number 007 is officially retired, never to be used again."

lkriel@express-news.net