Maine Officers Say Good-Bye To Beloved Police Dog With A Final Salute, Escort

Sultan was the first police dog to work with the Yarmouth Police Department, the Portland Press Herald reported.

He was brought to the department as a puppy in 2003 after Officer Mike Vogel asked to start a K-9 unit, according to the Press Herald.

"He's such a proud dog, always watching," Vogel told the newspaper.

Sultan worked with the department until 2012, when Vogel accepted a new job in Florida. Vogel retired Sultan and he became a pet to South Portland canine officer Shane Stephenson.

After the dog began suffering seizures, Stephenson said he knew his time on Earth was drawing to a close.

So on Friday, the department bid him farewell.

Sultan got a police escort and a final salute to the clinic where he was euthanized.

Many of the officers petted and scratched the 13-year-old dog before he was escorted to the clinic by cars with lights flashing.

Officers stood outside the clinic, holding a salute as he was carried in.