LARGO, Fla. — Sheriff’s officials in Largo, Fla., said Friday, Oct. 30, that K9 Logan, a police dog who worked the county since 2018, has died after falling suddenly ill and being diagnosed with cancer.
Logan became very sick over the weekend, according to the agency. He died earlier this week with his handler, Deputy Tony LoRusso, at his side, along with the full sheriff’s office K9 Unit and handlers from other departments who came to say goodbye.
LoRusso named the dog for Wolverine, his favorite Marvel character. Logan was picked for police work when he was only 10 months old, joined the unit in 2018 and was trained for narcotics detection the next year.
The pair helped bring new methods to the unit, including laser-pointer cues to direct the dog and building searches run as a team. The sheriff’s office pointed to a 2022 case in which suspects fled a stolen vehicle and hid inside a house as one where that approach paid off.
Logan also did well in competition. At last year’s national police dog trials run by the USPCA, he finished 16th in the overall standings. His four-dog squad came in second twice, once at the regional event and again at nationals.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office leaders described him as a dog with a fierce work ethic on duty and a gentle, social nature at home, and a regular at community demonstrations.
He was working right up to the end. During his last week on duty, Logan tracked down a man wanted on a felony warrant out of Georgia and helped find cocaine and methamphetamine in a separate drug case, deputies said. Off the clock, the agency said, he loved fetch, pup cups and leaning on people for a good rub.
Section: More St. Petersburg FL crime news
Filed under: St. Petersburg FL Public Safety News
