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A canine member of the Macon County Sheriff’s Department—a dog named Rock—died in his pen last week, of apparent heat exhaustion.

“He worked with Det. Crawford,” said Sheriff Mark Gammons, “and sometime Saturday afternoon, when the officer came back, they found that the canine had passed away. He’d been fed and watered, and the only thing we could find out was heat exhaustion because of hot temperatures.

“We buried him here at the Macon County Justice Center. Just a short time ago we retired department dog Buzz, so the Macon County Sheriff’s Department will be looking for another canine here in the near future.”

Detective Crawford spoke of the loss with some difficulty—the unusual bond between officers and their canine partners has often been remarked on in the media. “I worked with him for four years,” said Detective Crawford. “We studied together; I had him since he was 10 months old. We’d been through several schools together. It’s just hard.”

Rock was a part of the narcotics team, a position that requires regular training. “Once you get certified as a team, you have to keep your certification up every year,” said Crawford, “which is just to keep your narcotics part up. You go to a weeklong class, and then at the end of it they test you.”

Crawford said he does not plan to start over with a new dog; he will let another officer take that role.