WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Westerville police said goodbye to a beloved former member of the K9 team on Tuesday.
Former police K9 Fiji, the division’s first female narcotics dog, passed away following what police said was a brave battle with cancer.
Fiji worked with the division alongside Westerville police Lieutenant Bryan Schwartz for roughly seven years before retiring in 2020, according to a post.
Together, Schwartz and Fiji earned 10 gold, four silver and five bronze medals from K9 team competitions.
During her time with the division, Fiji responded to nearly 1,200 calls for service, police said, helping seize more than $2 million in illegal narcotics and money linked to narcotics investigations.
“Thank you, Fiji, for a life of service,” police said in a post to social media.
You can watch previous 10TV stories featuring Fiji below: