A Massachusetts police dog was hailed a hero after making the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow officers of the Braintree Police Department during a domestic dispute call.
Fallen Belgian Malinois Kitt was transported via motorcade to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for a private funeral service, where hundreds of the K9 officer’s colleagues bid him farewell on Tuesday, June 22.
On June 4, Kitt, along with his handler officer Cushing, and officers Donoghue and Seibert, responded to a domestic dispute call involving an armed suspect in Braintree Village.
An update informed them that the suspect had fled an apartment on foot, armed with multiple firearms, and entered a heavily wooded area. The officers pursued and were then ambushed by the suspect, who opened fire at close range.
Kitt then advanced on the suspect, diverting his attention away from the officers, potentially saving their lives.
The dog was mortally shot in the exchange. The K9’s handler and officer Donoghue were also wounded by gunfire but survived. Officer Seibert, a former U.S. Army medic who was unhurt, applied immediate medical care before Cushing and Donoghue were transported to local hospitals. Both are now recovering at home.
“If not for the actions of K9 Kitt the circumstances that afternoon could have been dramatically different,” the release stated. “K9 Kitt valiantly gave his life for the life of his beloved handler and his partners and died a true hero that afternoon.”
The brave Belgian Malinois, born in 2009 in Slovakia, was imported to the United States by Connecticut Canine Services. He and officer Cushing were then trained and certified at Canine Academy by a master canine trainer.
The K9 officer specialized in tracking and apprehending, locating missing persons, and finding crime scene evidence. Kitt also worked with the Metro-LEC Swat Team. In 2016, he was awarded the Braintree Medal of Valor for protecting several officers during an armed confrontation.
The heroic dog was 11 years old when he performed his final act of valor in the service of his colleagues and his community.
