Police dogs are heroes we don’t often take note of.  They work as hard, if not harder, as their human counterparts, but they only last about ten years, on duty.

The longest-serving Santa Ana Police dog, Chris, passed away last month, at the age of 12.  He worked on the streets for seven years, helping to nab murderers, gang members and thieves, according to the O.C. Register.

Chris also sniffed out a lot of illegal drugs.

Chris kept working even though most other police dogs would have been  two to four years into retirement. In all he captured than 40 suspects and helped bust hundreds of other bad guys.

Chris’ ashes now reside in a cedar box, on the mantel of SAPD Officer Mike McCarthy, his former partner.  He was beloved and is dearly missed. 

The SAPD trains their dogs in a special field, atop a water reservoir located in the eastern part of Santiago Park.

Officer McCarthy is now working with a new partner, Max, who is four years old.  Good luck to Max and Officer McCarthy!