All dogs go to heaven, as they say. If that is true of any canine, it is certainly true of Gunner.
One of the Williamson County Sheriff’s most beloved and accomplished deputies, the German Shepherd K9 passed on Sunday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing this morning of retired Williamson County Sheriff’s Office K9 Gunner,” WCSO stated in a press release.
Gunner was 10.
He served the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, the citizens of this county and most of all, was dedicated to his handler and partner, Corporal Debbie Rogers for seven years before his April 30, 2015 retirement.
Gunner was a dual purpose K9 certified in Narcotics Detection and Suspect Apprehension. Gunner certified in the 2010 USPCA National Trials held in Louisiana competing against more than 130 K9 teams from across the U.S.
After a hard day of training and work Gunner would look forward to the occasional trip to Sonic for his reward of popcorn chicken. He also enjoyed a scratch on his belly if he could get you to help him out. Since his retirement Gunner appeared at demonstrations for young children when a more mature K9 was needed. Gunner seemed to know he needed to be gentle with children and he made a perfect transition into that role.
Below are pictures of Gunner with his awards from certification trials in 2013, an 80 pound marijuana bust in 2013, and his retirement party in 2015. One picture is with the group Leadership Franklin that sponsored the event. At his retirement, members of Leadership Franklin announced a new program started in Gunner’s honor. Leadership Franklin started a fund to support retired county K9’s called Gunners Guardians.
Gunner, originally born Kazon in Germany, was just 13 months old when he joined the force in 2008 at the accompaniment of Corporal Rogers, who helped lay the foundation for the K-9 unit in Williamson County.
He usually worked day shift since that is when he was most needed for drug searches. Gunner was also able to track down a man that stole a car on Columbia Ave., ending in a felony conviction.
He was a part of a traffic stop on I-65 S where Corporal Rogers identified some mysterious boxes in the back seat, and thanks to K9 Gunner’s tracking, 80 lbs. of marijuana were confiscated. In this case, without the K-9 hit from Gunner, Rogers would not have been able to search the car without consent.
“He got a piece of steak for dinner that night,” said the proud handler Rogers.
After 6 ½ years of service, Gunner slowed down a bit and it was time to retire. He assumed more of the role as ‘petting dog’ for the department, and the kids of the community loved to see him out for events. Since Gunner can no longer be on active duty, he needed a home to go to.
With no retirement program for the K-9 dogs, Rogers was asked to take him home. She gladly accepted.