We join the Marquette City Police Department and the rest of the community in mourning the passing of K-9 Nitro, one of the department’s bomb-sniffing dogs.

Nitro passed away on his eighth birthday Monday after being hit suddenly with a terminal condition. His passing was announced on the MPD Facebook page as well as on the page dedicated to Nitro.

The photos that accompanied the news were incredibly touching. One could feel the love the dog and his handler, Officer John Waldo, had for each other.

On the Facebook page dedicated to K-9 Nitro, a goodbye was posted Monday afternoon from Nitro’s perspective, which read: “Today was my birthday, but it was also the day I crossed the rainbow bridge. I’m sure I will be missed, but rest assured I will be looking down and protecting all of you … I enjoyed serving Marquette … and it was an honor to go into harm’s way for the sake of everyone else.”

Because Nitro had such a friendly manner, it was easy to forget that he was a real working part of the police department. He, too, was trained to protect and serve.

Nitro had been with the department for seven years. The impact the canine had was far reaching.

According to Waldo, who called Mining Journal Staff Writer Shannon Konoske from vacation in Anchorage, Alaska, to speak on behalf of his K9 partner and friend, he and the MPD received outreach and condolences from as far away as a sheriff in Louisiana and a handler in Spain.

“So this dog had some reach,” he said.

Indeed anyone who met Nitro had to be impressed by the dog and his devotion. He represented the MPD at events and helped with safety checks, including those at schools.

MPD Capt. Greg Kinonen said of Nitro: “He was the epitome of a lab. He was such a friendly dog … outgoing dog. A lot of the time when you see work dogs, they’re not like that. They’re all about the work. You could tell he enjoyed the company of his people … He couldn’t walk by somebody without getting a pet.”

For this reason, Kinonen explained that Nitro was the K9 that the MPD took to most community events.

“He soaked it up,” Kinonen said.

Despite Nitro’s love of all people, Kinonen said he was especially close to his handler, Waldo, who knew him best.

“He was just a sweetheart. I could bring him to any event and he would be a hit,” Waldo said. “I trusted him 100%.”

According to Waldo, many people had a hand in training Nitro and, “Without the support of other training partners, he wouldn’t be the dog he (was).”

For Waldo — with whom Nitro lived — however, the K-9 was more than partner and friend. He was family.

“He was a work dog that was unbelievable at his task, which was finding explosives, but he could come home and be the best house dog ever,” Waldo said. “He was loyal, just wanted to be with his people and please his family … You know in the mornings, he would come up and lay in the bed next to me and he just wanted to be close … We brought him to hockey games and tournaments, on vacation.”

As part of the goodbye post on K-9 Nitro’s Facebook page, he passed his legacy onto the MPD’s second dog, Zepp — named after Led Zeppelin, according to Waldo.

We wish Zepp and the entire department the best. We know their colleague Nitro will never be forgotten.