Cory missing his long-time partner

He was wagging his tail up to the end.

"It's heart-breaking," Grundy County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Cory says of his K-9 companion, Deputy Alex, who was euthanized two weeks ago after cancer invaded his system.

"But I didn't want to see him suffer or go through a lot of treatments for my selfishness in wanting to have him around. He was a happy dog, never in any pain. That's what is good."

Alex's cancer was rampant. It was in his intestines, his liver, his kidneys. It was in other masses in his body. He had it everywhere, Cory said.

The Czechoslovakian German Shepherd police dog and the deputy were a team a little more than five years, working on the streets together. They built up a relationship — they bonded. They were together until the end.

"He stayed with me in hotels, and he lived with me at home, so I was with my dog 24 hours a day," Cory said. "I spent more time with my dog than with my wife. My wife was fine with it."

Cory carried Alex's sleeping crate into the hotel rooms when they were away. At home, though, Alex had his own kennel, but he soon moved into the house.

"He did very well with that," Cory said. "He was a very intelligent dog. He had never experienced living in a house before, but he did fine with it. I took him outside a couple times, and that was it. He never had an accident."

Cory, like so many animal lovers, had pet dogs all his life, but Alex was his first K-9 police dog. It took the pair a couple months to bond after they were introduced to each other — to form a full, trusting bond.

"It's a little shaky when they hand you a trained police dog, and you have no idea about the dog," Cory said. "A little scary at first, but it worked out very well. I couldn't ask for anything more with him."

Alex and Cory's wife bonded extremely well, also.

"They were great together. If I wasn't home, and he was, he actually listened to her. He did better than me. They were very close."

Cory is leaving for the Northern Michigan K-9 Corps' four-weeks training school on Monday, Sept. 13, to meet his new dog and for them to get to know each other. It will be hard, he said, adjusting to a new dog.

Every dog is an individual, and Cory says he has to remember that he can't compare the dogs.

"Alex was one in a million. He can never be replaced. He was like a kid to me," Cory said.

"I just have to look at it as a new dog with its own way. But, I can't compare the two. No way can I compare them."

Before Alex's cancer was discovered and he had to be put down, the pair had a lot of fun together, and the opportunity to do a lot of interesting, police-oriented activities.

"We took a lot of drugs off the street, and we assisted a lot of agencies. Alex was a real good tool to have. We did a lot of stuff in the schools with the kids. He was a gentle giant. He loved being in school with all the kids."

Alex was a very important aspect of the D.A.R.E. program in the county. He did not mingle with the general public, however, as police dogs are trained to do a job.

"To protect their handlers," Cory said.

"If they think you are coming to harm their handler for some reason, you could be in  big trouble. The K-9 squad car becomes their area — their car, and they're protective of it. If you hear them bark quite a bit while in the car, they're telling you, 'This is my car. Go away.'"