Vanessa Miller, CR Gazette –
The Iowa City Police Department’s 5-year-old K9 Becky died Monday of a severe case of bloat, a gastric condition in which the stomach swells with gas and fluid.
The Dutch Shepard joined the department in 2009 and had been partnered until recently with Officer Matt Hansen. During her time with Hansen, Becky helped in numerous narcotics seizures and apprehensions of criminal suspects, according to an Iowa City news release.
In 2010, Hansen and Becky helped the Johnson County and Muscatine County sheriff’s offices track a driver who fled from the scene of a chase. Becky and the officer tracked the driver for nearly five miles in single digit temperatures before they found him and arrested him, according to Iowa City police.
Hansen left the department in October and Becky was partnered with Officer Brandon Faulkcon. They were together at Vohne Liche Kennels in Peru, Indiana when Becky contracted a fatal case of bloat, which the department says is not uncommon in large breeds.
The department intends to find a replacement for Becky in the near future.
