Handler: Eric Blair
Breed: Malinois/Shepherd
DOB: 11/1/2013
Department: Springfield(MA) Police Department
Function: Narcotics Detection and Patrol
Years Worked: 11-2014 through 12/2021

Mr. Warner came to Shallow Creek Kennels from Hungary. K9 Warner was listed as (Rob) in his kennel, and his date of birth was November 10, 2013. In November of 2014, K9 Warner was evaluated for police work, and was selected to attend patrol school with North American Police Work Dog Association trainer Dwayne Foisey. K9 Mr. Warner became a celebrity in the K9 community quickly after excelling at training. Mr. Warner got his unique name after a Warner School 5th grader won an essay contest to name the department’s K9 and chose his school’s name. Officer Blair added the “Mr.” to his K9 partner’s name to add a more approachable and distinguished ring to it. Upon starting his new job in February of 2015, Mr. Warner excelled very quickly. On his first call, he was dispatched to assist officers with an active break-in, where he was sent quickly and located both subjects hiding inside the residence. Because of his drive to work and please his handler, K9 Warner excelled at narcotics school in 2017. Since the beginning of his career, he has been certified by NAPWADA in narcotics/patrol. As a result of his assistance, finds, and arrests, Warner became well-known in the city and surrounding towns.
He received numerous write-ups from city leaders, other police departments, and citizens for his outstanding work. Also, he would visit Warner School every year to say hello to the kids that named him and presented the school with a plaque so they would always remember him. Besides attending many city functions, such as Pancake Breakfasts and National Night Outs, he also visited many local schools. He also received numerous national and local awards for his service within the community. Mr. Warner assisted in hundreds of arrests in his career, including firearms cases, narcotics cases, armed robberies and break-ins. Mr. Warner has also assisted numerous surrounding agencies in their investigations, including the Massachusetts State Police, with missing person’s searches and other investigations.
Some of Mr. Warner’s career highlights include:

-December 2021 – K9 Mr. Warner alerts officers to a firearm and hiding suspect in a Lowell Street apartment after the suspect pointed a gun at an officer
-August 2020 – Officer Blair and K9 Mr. Warner assisted the Agawam Police Department during a narcotics investigation that resulted in Mr. Warner locating a large amount of drugs. –The previous day Mr. Warner assisted the Wilbraham Police Department in locating a missing elderly man.
– February 2020 – Mr. Warner assisted in getting a suspect who was believed to be armed to comply with officers’ orders to show his hands. After the suspect was taken into custody, Mr. -Warner tracked and located the firearm involved in the incident.
-October 2019 – Mr. Warner successfully tracked two armed robbery suspects, leading officers to arrest the suspects in Ludlow. Multiple armed robberies occurred in both Springfield and Ludlow prior to the arrests being made.
-June 2019 – Officer Blair and Mr. Warner received the North American Police Dog Association’s Outstanding Service Award for their role in two incidents in November 2018 leading to the arrests of four individuals and the seizure of an illegal firearm and BB gun.

Mr. Warner received the 2021 Animal Hero Award presented by the Dakin Humane Society and the North American Police Dog Association’s Outstanding Service Award in 2019. In 2021, Mr. Warner was starting to slow down and was having difficulty completing some of the usual tasks he had completed with ease in years past. In November, his handler scheduled a vet appointment for his annual physical and found he had formed alot of arthritis in his back and rear legs as a result of his years of wear and tear.
As his career as a police officer was winding down, his transition to a family dog would begin. During this time, Warner continued working the streets as he had all those years. His last shift was scheduled for December 9, 2021. After almost finishing the shift, a call came in for shots fired involving a city police officer. Warner assisted in finding the suspect who pointed a firearm at a police officer and fled. It was determined that the suspect had broken into a nearby residence and hid from officers. K9 Warner was quickly deployed and located the firearm and suspect in a crawl space in the residence. The suspect was taken into custody by police. Until the last minute of his shift, Warner gave it his all as he did his whole career. Mr. Warner would retire that night and begin his new purpose in life as a family dog with his handler and family.

Mr. Warner retired in December of 2021, and since that time, his health has been declining. Mr. Warner developed a large hematoma on his back right hip after falling on ice in January of 2022 while on his daily walk. He has had numerous emergency and veterinary visits in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Upon discovering the hematoma, his treatment began with a veterinary visit, resulting in his first aspiration round. After a few weeks, the hematoma swelled so severely that he could not defecate or walk. There was only 1 emergency clinic open on a Saturday afternoon in Windsor, Connecticut. Mr. Warner underwent radiographs, blood draws, ultrasound, and 2 additional aspirations during the visit.

The Veterinarian diagnosed Mr. Warner with a possible perianal hernia vs. anal sac tumor/abscess vs. other cyst. She then suggested a consultation for surgical intervention. While waiting for the consultation appointment, the hematoma grew and hardened, causing pain and discomfort to Mr. Warner. On February 23, 2022, Mr. Warner was seen at the Veterinary Center in Windsor, Connecticut for his surgical consultation. During that visit, he underwent another aspiration and medical treatment. The Dr. recommended that he undergo a CT scan under anesthesia and tissue biopsy.

Due to Mr. Warner’s age and the location of the hematoma, there is a greater risk associated with the surgery. Some of the surgical risks involve loss of bowel function and paralysis. Although this was a tough decision to make, we want Mr. Warner to have a chance at a comfortable retirement and enjoy his time with our family. Therefore, we have scheduled his exploratory surgery to remove the tumor for March 28, 2022. The hard mass (as hard as bone) is being sent for testing and we should hopefully know more when we receive the results. A possible hernia that calcified.

He is now in good health, but still suffers from severe arthritis and is on a lot of medications to keep him comfortable. My deepest gratitude goes out to Mark-9 for all the support they provide to retired K9s and all that they do.

Read about Mr. Warner’s retirement here. And how Mr. Warner won a national award.