The Connecticut State Police announced the loss of one of their own Wednesday morning: a 10-year-old black German shepherd named Porter.
State police said Porter, a K-9 partnered with Trooper Matthew Warren of Westbrook’s Troop F, died Thursday. While they did not reveal Porter’s cause of death, MARK-9, a website that helps cover the costs of medical care for retired K9s, said Porter developed degenerative myelopathy shortly after retiring due to age and injury in May 2021.
Degenerative myelopathy refers to a disease of the spinal cord that most commonly affects older dogs and causes progressive paralysis, according to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center. Prior to April 2, Porter also underwent surgery for a ruptured tumor in his spleen, MARK-9 said.
Porter was born in May 2012 and donated by the Fidelco Guiding Eyes Foundation to the Connecticut State Police in January 2014, according to MARK-9. He graduated from the Connecticut State Police K-9 Academy on June 5, 2014, and from the Connecticut State Police Search and Rescue Academy on Sept. 18, 2014, MARK-9 said.
State police said Porter assisted with patrol duties, search and rescue operations, and water and cadaver recovery cases. In April 2016, Porter was injured when he fell off a 20-foot-high rock wall while searching for a missing woman in Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, NBC Connecticut reported. In May 2018, Porter was announced as the recipient of a bullet- and stab-protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K-9s Inc.
Porter retired in 2021 after serving the state for eight years, state police said. MARK-9 reported he was replaced by K9 Maxx.
caroline.tien@hearst.com
