LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — Members of the public safety community in Lawrence are mourning the unexpected death of a long-serving police dog.

Lawrence Police Department announced K-9 Chedo died Sunday as a result of a medical condition.

The Czech Shepherd served the agency for eight years in patrol and drug detection. According to LPD, the police dog was deployed 444 times and was responsible for more than 354 narcotics recoveries, as well as other evidence used in crimes.

Some of K-9 Chedo’s service was featured for nationwide viewers when the city’s police department participated in the A&E show, “Live PD.”

K-9 Chedo lived with his handler, Sergeant Adam Hazelwood, his wife, and children. Sgt. Hazelwood shared the news of his partner’s death and the sergeant’s personal grief on Facebook.

The sergeant has allowed WISH-TV to share his written words from the post saying it would be an honor for there to be talk about his “favorite boy.”

Sgt. Hazelwood described Chedo as the best partner who fought to the very end.

“Thank you for literally saving my life, more than once. Because of you, I’m here today to be with my family. I literally owe my life to you,” Hazelwood wrote. “The armed people you confronted on my behalf didn’t get the opportunity to kill me or my partners like they wanted to because of you.”

Sgt. Hazelwood and Chedo became one of six K-9 teams in the LPD canine unit in 2016.

“I love you, Chedo. And I will miss you for a very long time,” Hazelwood said in the Facebook post. “I don’t know how I will be able to go to work without you now. But I’ll figure it out. It’s like a bad dream that I just can’t wake up from. I hope you get to chase as many kongs as you want now. I hope you get to destroy as many water buckets as you want without me yelling at you for it. Most of all, I hope that you are at peace.”