Melrose police mourn the loss of retired K-9 Jony
This week, members of the Melrose Police Department will wear black mourning bands and lower the flag at the station to half-mast in honor of K-9 Jony, who died over the Fourth of July weekend.
Jony, a 9-year-old German Shepard born in Slovakia, arrived in the United States when he was 10 months old and started working in the department’s first K-9 program, according to police. Officer Joseph H. Donovan was paired with him in the field.
Having trained through both the Middlesex County Sheriff’s K-9 Academy and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department K-9 program, Donovan and Jony tracked suspects and searched for narcotics in Melrose, Malden, Stoneham, and Reading, among other cities and towns.
Jony helped locate at least nine wanted suspects and various missing persons in Melrose and adjoining communities, police said. He also participated in visits to the Milano Senior Center, the Junior Police Academy, and elementary schools.
“Jony will always be remembered and will certainly be missed throughout the Police Department and community,” Police Chief Michael L. Lyle said.
In 2015, a detached retina and cataract in his right eye led to an infection, causing K-9 Jony to retire. He remained in the care of Donovan and his family until his death.
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