Springfield Police Department mourns loss of retired K-9 officer

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A police service dog has died following several years of service with the Springfield Police Department (SPD).

According to an SPD press release, the 10-year-old dog named Ronin died on Monday, August 11, with his family at his side.

Ronin served with SPD for seven years before retiring to live with his handler, retired Officer Jeff Henson, in December 2023.

Ronin began working with the department in 2016 as a dual-purpose police service dog. He was trained to find and apprehend suspects, find narcotics and search for evidence.

“He hated everyone and bit more cops than bad guys, but he chose to love two people on this planet: me and my wife,” Henson said. “She took pride in being able to bond with a world-class curmudgeon.”

During the dog's service, he was involved in 525 career deployments and is credited with 70 arrests and 90 narcotic finds.

The release says that Ronin loved to play tug, go for walks, lounge on the couch and back at anything on television during his retirement.

Ronin was laid to rest at Lakeland Pet Cemetery at Rivermonte Memorial Gardens in Springfield.