Two Sonoma County law enforcement agencies mourn K-9 deaths

It’s been a tough few days for two Sonoma County law enforcement agencies; each lost an integral part of their team.

Sebastopol Police Department K-9 Frank and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Koogan both died this week.

Frank, a German shepherd, garnered massive public attention as he battled two bouts of lymphoma.

More than 275 donors contributed more than $17,600 to help pay for the two rounds of chemotherapy the dog went through, the most recent this spring.

He worked alongside Sgt. Nick Belliveau as long as he could.

Frank first was diagnosed with lymphoma in January 2015. By April, he was declared in remission. This March, though, the cancer came back.

He died at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, a department release said. “Frank was beloved by many local schoolchildren. He calmed many potentially violent offenders by his presence alone. And he was effective at apprehending suspects,” the release said.

Sonoma County Sheriff’s K-9 Koogan was described as a “spirited” yellow Lab who was trained in narcotics detection.

Koogan worked and lived with his handler, Deputy Jon Watson, from 2004 to 2010, when he retired. During that time, he searched cars, jails, packages and schools.

In all, he helped seize countless firearms, more than 19 pounds of methamphetamine, 42 pounds of cocaine, 253 pounds of marijuana, eight pounds of heroin, and five pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

“After Koogan retired to live with his family, he never lost his desire to go to work,” the post said.

“He had an undefeatable drive, and a loving disposition.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.