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player ready...The village’s canine officer has died after eight years on the police force, officials said.
Axel, a German-born, purebred German shepherd who was well-known to schoolchildren, community groups and those caught with illegal drugs in the village, died of cancer only a month short of his 10th birthday, said Deputy Police Chief Jerry Zywczyk.
Axel joined the department in 1987, when he was partnered with Officer Paul Bartuch. The canine lived with Bartuch and his family and accompanied Bartuch on patrol and as an Officer Friendly to village festivals, schools and community groups for demonstrations of his tracking and protection abilities.
The department frequently sent Axel and Bartuch to other towns that lacked a canine patrol to aid in searches.