A Montgomery County, Maryland, police officer is going into the new year without his K-9 partner by his side.
Just before Christmas, Montgomery County Police Cpl. Phil Brower lost K-9 Monte, a German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois cross that had been his partner in patrol work since 2018.
Brower told WTOP he was paired with Monte after veteran K-9 trainers screened the then-20-month-old dog. Brower explained the selection process, which includes making sure a dog can tackle the varied roles of a police K-9.
“Sometimes that doesn’t always mesh well with what you have going on at home,” Brower said.
Brower said his K-9 partner was so friendly that “people would meet him and say, ‘I can’t believe this is a police dog!'”
“(Monte) had the ability to just flip switches and realize we’re not doing police work anymore,” and shift into family pet mode at home, he said.
At one point in his training, a veteran K-9 police officer told Brower bluntly that he would “never have another dog like him.”
At home, the police dog would try to ingratiate himself with the family cat, Mittens, often bathing the cat in kisses. It was a habit, Brower said, the cat “tolerated, at best.”
When another colleague heard Brower had gotten some chickens for the family’s backyard, she slammed him, telling the officer his dog would likely “destroy” the little family flock.
Instead, it was the opposite: Monte was much more peaceful, poking his nose into a cluster of little chicks snuggling under a heat lamp.
“I took a great deal of enjoyment later on, sending her pictures of the chickens standing on the dog’s back,” Brower said about his colleague.
Losing his partner
Brower told WTOP K-9 Monte spent Dec. 18 on the job, energetic and enthusiastic as always. That included responding to a call to check a building for suspects.
Having successfully cleared the site, Brower and his K-9 partner headed home. where Brower helped his dog burn off steam with one of the dog’s favorite activities: chasing a ball.
But soon after, something changed.
Brower described his dog’s expression and body language like that of a “zombie” and he rushed the 8-year-old dog to an emergency vet’s office in Gaithersburg. An ultrasound revealed fluid around the dog’s spleen.
“When the doctor came in to tell me that, I could see it in her face” that something was very, very wrong, Brower said.
“I remember straight up asking her, ‘Is my boy going to be OK?'” Brower told WTOP.
At that point the answer wasn’t clear, but more tests showed the fluid around Monte’s spleen was blood. So, the decision was made to transport him to Friendship Hospital for Animals in D.C.
“So we drove him, lights and sirens down there,” Brower said. “I spent most of my night just lying on the floor with him while they stabilized him.”
At around 3:30 a.m., Brower went home to wait for the results of more tests.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t like to admit it on the radio, but I straight up cried myself to sleep,” he said.
The next morning, Brower said he received the worst news possible: Monte had tumors surrounding his liver and wasn’t a good candidate for surgery.
“At that point, he was on borrowed time,” Brower said, calling the news “a body blow.”
“He was there every second of every day, and we did everything together,” Brower said.
The decision was clear, but not easy. Brower, his wife Julee and their daughter Katelyn gathered in a private room at the animal hospital where they were told to take as much time as they needed before Monte would be euthanized.
When Brower left the animal hospital the night before, his dog was in very rough shape, but when the family returned to say their goodbyes, he said Monte was alert and carrying a ball, just like always.
“He’s wagging his tail, he’s got that silly smile he did, he’s got a ball in his mouth, he’s trying to play with us,” Brower said. “All three of us were basically holding on to him and he took his last breath knowing that we were there and that he was loved.”
Moving on
Part of his time with his K-9 partner was spent on long walks, and before long, Brower developed something he called “Iron Dog” — a 3-mile obstacle course where working dogs and their handlers could test their mettle.
“I would describe it as a Tough Mudder for dog and handler,” Brower said, referring to a physical endurance competition for humans. “I’m kind of heartbroken I won’t be able to run it with him this year.”
The competition will continue, even if Monte and Brower aren’t participating on the course.
“With his sudden passing, I’m sure we’re going to try to keep his legacy alive with this,” Brower said, noting that the event has a charity element.
Funds raised are used to benefit Spike’s K-9 Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting working dogs and their handlers.
Brower said during his dog’s medical crisis, the Montgomery County Police Department “didn’t blink an eye” at the potential medical bills, and when he reached out to Spike’ K-9 Fund, he was told, “What your police department can’t cover, we’ll step in and handle.”
The loss of a K-9 partner is never easy, but looking back, Brower told WTOP, “It makes me happy knowing that in his final moments, he was happy.”
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