Not all heroes wear capes.
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes… and colors!
Our hooman heroes often wear navy blue uniforms and drive patrol cars instead of fancy batmobiles.
Our heroes in blue have special sidekicks, and they’re heroes, too!
Those little heroes wear a furry coat and they communicate by barking.
Those special heroes are canine partners, or K9 dogs!
Most K9 pawfficers are breeds like Belgian Malinois, Boxers, Labrador Retrievers, and, of course, German Shepherds.
One of those spectacular K9 pawfficers was a German Shepherd named Sampson.
Sampson was in the force for more than 10 years.
Sadly, he passed away this May, but the memory of him and his good deeds still lives.
A Farewell To Sampson, One Incredible K9 Pawfficer
When Deputy Police Chief of Bath Police Department, Michelle Small, got Sampson, he was just a pup in training. She got him from an exceptional line of German Shepherds from the Netherlands.
Sampson was a fast learner. It didn’t take him a long time to master everything officer Small taught him. After all, he was destined to be a police dog. One hell of a police dog, I might add.
Sampson proved his heroic nature on numerous occasions. He also saved Small’s life several times!
Small owed him her life. Small devoted her entire service for the past 11 years to Sampson.
And, he was the goodest boi of them all!
“He was with me 24/7, pretty much,” Small said. “For the last 10 years, we were inseparable.” said Small.
Everyone loved Sam. He wasn’t just a mighty police pawfficer always chasing criminals. Sam gave back to the community, too! He was super involved in local events, loved visiting senior centers, and enjoyed every moment he had to spend with local kids.
Good pawfficer, Sampson, helped find kids with autism and adults with dementia many times! He was gentle and caring exactly when he had to be.
“He had an on-off switch,” Small said. “He was this lovable Teddy bear of a dog, but when it was time to go to work, he was a different animal.”
When he wasn’t on duty, Sampson was just like any other dog. He loved to chase balls, play with his GSD sibling at Small’s house, and sip puppuccinos.
Unfortunately, Sampson’s good strike came to an end. He had no more strength in his body. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sampson fought hard, but eventually had to give up. His handler, hooman mom, and best friend, Michelle Small, had to make the hardest decision ever:
She had to put Sam down because he was in so much pain.
After serving for 10 incredible years, Sampson was escorted from Bath to Brunswick by police and fire personnel from Bath, Sagadahoc County SO, Topsham, Brunswick, Lisbon, and South Portland.
Sampson closed his eyes forever this May, and he’s now resting.
He got the final goodbye, but we all know that Sampson is one of those dogs you simply can never forget!
