It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved K-9 Honor yesterday afternoon at the age of eight. Honor was found deceased in his kennel at approximately 3 p.m. by members of the Benton Police Department’s K-9 team, who were providing care for Honor while his handler is out of state.
Honor was undergoing continued treatment for heartworms, however the exact cause of death is not currently known at this time. While no foul play is suspected, Honor was transported to the Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Little Rock for a necropsy and further investigation into the cause of his death.
Honor was a Belgian Malinois who served the City of Benton for over six years, with his current assignment being in the patrol division with his handler, Officer Steven Beck. He was a dual purpose police service dog trained in both patrol work and narcotics detection, and he worked especially hard at protecting his community and his handler. Honor and Officer Beck were responsible for many high profile arrests, and their teamwork led to the seizure of thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit narcotics and contraband.
In addition to their patrol duties, Officer Beck and K-9 Honor spent many hours visiting local schools and community functions helping to educate children about all the important jobs that police dogs perform to help protect their communities. His death came as a shock to all involved and has been especially hard on Officer Beck and his family, as well as our K-9 Unit as a whole. Honor will be missed by all of us, especially those who worked alongside him.