Our Heroes

EOW: 9/18/2024

Meet K9 Strike!! Strike is a 14 year old Belgian Malinois. He was an explosive detection canine in the United States Coast Guard for 8 years. During this time he conducted many operations all over the country and Puerto Rico.

Strike was utilized at two Republican National Conventions, 4 Super Bowls, 10 different Marathons, conducted sweeps for U.S. Presidents, many other dignitaries and VIP’s and was even on the cover of a book! 

Strike currently lives with his family in Groton.  They reached out to us as Strikes overall health and abilities continued to decline. Although he doesn’t need much, we wanted to make sure we provided him with whatever would keep him comfortable while he lived out his retirement.

It is with the upmost sadness that we share the passing of Harlows Heroes, K9 Strike.  K9 Strike was the first dog we accepted under our foundation and it has been an honor to support him and his family in the short time that we have known them.  Surrounded by his loved ones, K9 Strike peacefully transitioned onto his next adventure.  EOW: 9/18/2024 Good Boy.

EOW: 7/19/2024

K9 Gunny was Born on 3/8/2014 in Slovakia, he started as a Duel Purpose K9 at New Haven Police Dept in March of 2017 and was partnered with Officer Sullivan for the entirety of his career. He is trained in narcotics detection and patrol work which includes obedience, building searches, evidence recovery, tracking and criminal apprehension. Some of his noteable jobs: Finding 3 kilos of fentanyl in a passengers luggage at Tweed Airport in New Haven. At a missing person incident, the victims cell phone was found in the road next to some woods in Woodbridge (a town that borders New Haven). Gunny sniffed the phone and tracked into the woods where he located the victims wallet. He then continued tracking further into the woods and eventually located the victim who had been shot several times. He has located numerous guns and knives that were used in crimes. He has also found countless illegal drugs during motor vehicle stops. K9 Gunny has 3 apprehension subjects who were in the act of committing felonies. His handler said "His presence alone has prevented people from fleeing from or fighting the police” 

It is with the upmost sadness that we share the passing of Harlows Heroes, K9 Gunny- Retired New Haven PD after battling aggressive cancer. His best friend, partner and handler, Retired New Haven Officer Sean Sullivan, was there to comfort him while he crossed over to his next adventure.  

“K9 Gunny was known for his loyalty, pure strength, confidence and excellent nose. Anyone who knew K9 Gunny or any decoy who ever got to work with K9 Gunny knew how extremely powerful he was” -NHPD K9 Unit 

We are devastated over the loss of K9 Gunny and for his partner Sean Sullivan and department. We ask you to keep them all in your thoughts. K9 Gunny is the exact reason we started Harlows Heroes and we are honored to of been able to be the tiniest sliver of his story. To our donors, thank you. We wouldn’t be Harlows Heroes without you. Rest Easy K9 Gunny. Good Boy. 🖤💙 

EOW: 7/19/2024

K9 Rocko graduated 170th patrol class and started his DOC career in 2014. K9 Rocko responded to many disturbance’s throughout the state’s correctional facilities. Most notably in 2016, K9 Rocko responded to a disturbance involving an inmate with a weapon and was able to get the inmate to comply with orders and release the weapon while staff secured the situation. In 2017, K9 Rocko assisted Enfield PD during a traffic stop. He alerted on the passenger door, drug paraphernalia was located inside the vehicle and 15 bags of crack coccaine was located on the individuals. 

In 2017, K9 Rocko competed in the K9 Olympics and won top team for tactical obedience. 

Unfortunately in 2018, while responding to a disturbance at one of the correctional facilities, Rocko’s handler was injured. This resulted in the handler needing multiple surgeries and being out of work for an extended period of time. K9 Rocko, as a result was retired long before he was ready to be. 

His life now looks different. He is an 11 1/2 year old dog that’s still learning how to be a family dog as opposed to what he loved to be, a working dog. K9 Rocko developed pannus in 2020 that resulted in him becoming blind. He has learned to adjust and while he sometimes forgets where things are and bumps into them, he has adapted to his new way of life.

On October 2, 2016, USMC Lance Corporal Jake Pettit, a Fairfield native and Combat Veteran, tragically passed away after struggling with PTS.  K9 Jake is named in Lance Corporal Jake Pettit’s honor and is dedicated to both serving the Fairfield community and bringing awareness to Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).

One year following Jake’s death, almost to the day, The Hometown Foundation and Miller Motorcars graciously donated the funds necessary to obtain K9 Jake and so it began…the dawning of the K9 Jake PTS Awareness Project.

Since being partnered with K9 Jake in October of 2017, Sergeant Irizarry and K9 Jake have spent every day together, whether it be at home, work or training.  In February of 2018, K9 Jake became certified in Narcotics detection and has since been instrumental in a number of narcotics searches and arrests.

K9 Jake’s mission is not only to protect and serve the residents and visitors of Fairfield as a dual purpose Narcotics and Tracking K9 but to also honor Lance Corporal Jake Pettit by helping bring awareness to the struggles of PTS.  In order to complete this mission, Sergeant Irizarry and K9 Jake have already begun making public appearances, visiting veteran and non-veteran groups and generally spreading the PTS Awareness Message.  They look forward to continuing this important mission by visiting VA Hospitals, VFW meetings and anywhere they are needed along the way.

In 2020, due to changes in department structure and leadership, Sergeant Irizarry stepped down as K9 Jake’s handler but declined to retire K9 Jake to ensure he continued his mission.  K9 Jake was then partnered with Officer Daniel Chase, a veteran himself, in August 2020.  K9 Jake and Officer Chase served the Town of Fairfield until K9 Jake’s retirement in 2021.

According to a Department of Veterans Affairs study, it is estimated that approximately 22 Veterans take their own lives each day.  This is why K9 Jake’s mission is so vitally important.  To serve as a constant reminder of this tragic number, K9 Jake was assigned Badge #22 and his police vehicle was designated as Car #22.

Xena is a 9 year old female English Lab.   Xena became my partner in June 2018 and was retired August 19, 2024.  During our time together, she was deployed 184 times resulting in 157 alerts and 130 arrests.  Xena's nose netted $3, 886.00 in cash, 6 seized vehicles and 2 illegal firearms.

Xena was called out by many different agencies including the Jacksboro Police Department, Jack County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden and the DEA.

Xena has been certified through United States Police Canine Association, National Narcotic Detector Dogs Association, and National Police Canine Association.   In March 2020, we attended the USPCA Region 25 trials in Clay County.  She certified in narcotics and tracking eventhough she had not been trained for tracking.  Her certifications earned her the "Top Rookie Dog" for 2020.

She was always ready to work.  When I would put my uniform on to go to work, I would find her waiting at the back door wagging her tail.  

On March 21, 2022, an F-3 tornado hit Jacksboro for the first time ever.  Xena and I were traveling on the highway when I had to pull over due to the heavy amount of rain.  As I came to a stop, my vehicle was hit and spun around.  We were hit by the tornado and destroyed my unit.   Xena and I made it out alive and for the most part unharmed.  However, Xena wasn't the same since that day.

I took her to the vet to have her checked out and she was given a clean bill of health.  It took her a while to get back into a vehicle.

When my unit was destroyed, we had to use other vehicles until it got replaced.  While we were in a unit not set up for K9 use, she fell out of the back seat and injured her back.  She was off work for 2 weeks and then we continued our job.

In April of 2024, Xena was not acting herself.  She slowed down and did not seem to have the desire to do her job.  After 6 years with the best partner I've ever had, she was retired on August 19, 2024.  Upon retirement, she was awarded to me to come home to live and be a dog without having to work for a living.  

Since being retired, her medical issues have taken a toll on her.  She has since been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis.  X-rays showed multiple vertebrae in her back were out of place and were putting pressure on her spinal cord, causing her to start losing the use of her back legs.

She has been having chiropractic treatments which I am hopeful will work to give her the complete use of her back legs again.  

Apollo is an 11 year old German Shepard, retired police K9 from New Canaan Police Department. He retired in March of 2024. Apollo was an apprehension, drug, and tracking K9 that assisted New Canaan and surrounding agencies since 2015. In K9 Apollo’s last full year of service, he was deployed numerous times. Most notably, helping Officers locate an individual suffering from a mental episode. This individual had jumped from the second floor of their residence and was located near a  stream. K9 Apollo was also deployed to a neighboring town, where there was a possible suspect hiding inside someone’s residence while they were away. K9 Apollo successfully located the suspect hidden in the attic of the residence and he was taken into custody on scene. K9 Apollo served his community from 2015-2024.