BATH TWP., Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The passing of a canine family member is one of the most difficult things a person can go through. While non-dog owners might not understand the grief, it’s about more than just losing a friend, it’s about losing a constant everyday part of your life.

Even though dog owners moan and groan about the early morning walks, the constant barking at Amazon drivers, the shedding, the muddy paw prints, and the endearing (but often annoying) idiosyncrasies of their friends with four paws, when a dog friend passes, life is very much an empty and quiet place – even more so when the dogs are around their owners everyday in the workplace.

The emptiness of losing a dog, especially a partner at work, is intense.

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That’s why the emptiness is felt even more profoundly by police officers who have K-9 partners – buddies who they spend more time with than their own families.

From the time a police officer lifts his or her head off of their pillow in the morning until the time they lay their head back down in the evening, their K-9 partner and friend is at their side in friendship, loyalty and service.

Bath Township Police Dept. loses a K-9 officer.

The grief of losing a K-9 partner was heartbreakingly evident in a recent tribute that was posted on the Bath Township Police Department Facebook page on Monday morning by police officer Mike Lapham. In his post, he discusses the loss of his K-9 partner, Officer Aiko, who was Bath Twp. Police Department’s first K-9 officer.

The Facebook page, which reportedly has more followers than residents in the township, has often featured Officer Aiko who was a local “celebrity” in the Bath community.

Officer Aiko’s “end of watch” was on Sunday.

Unfortunately, due to health complications, Officer Aiko, who served more than 10 years with the Bath police department, had to be laid to rest on Sunday, June 2nd – otherwise known as Aiko’s “EOW” or end of watch.

Born on August 23, 2013, Aiko was a German Shepherd that was acquired from Poland. He was trained to do many things for the police department including narcotics detection, tracking, evidence search, area search, building search, obedience and handler protection. And listed on his collectible “baseball card” as his favorite toy: anything that bounces!

Officer Lapham pays tribute to K-9 partner.

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In the Facebook post, Officer Lapham, Aiko’s handler, says, “My heart is heavy and vision blurred as I write this. Due to health complications, we unfortunately had to lay Officer Aiko to rest yesterday. Officer Aiko joined the Bath Township Police Department in April of 2014 and has the distinction of being the first K-9 Officer at Bath Township.

Throughout his career he touched many lives and was an incredible addition to the department. Officer Aiko was proud to have been a part of numerous criminal apprehensions, narcotics detections, tactical team deployments and sweeps of our schools.”

The pair made a big difference in the community including rescuing kids and adults.

The K-9 team of Aiko and Mike rescued a six-year-old and a nine-year-old in 2017 after being called to help employees at the Bengal Wildlife Center in Bath who could hear the children yelling.

Officer Lapham discusses the incident in his Facebook post saying, “Our favorite success stories though are the ones where we were able to locate missing persons, both young and old. The most notable being locating two lost kids who were trapped in a wooded marshland. American Aluminum even donated an upgraded patrol car kennel as a reward for a job well done. Officer Aiko’s temperament was invaluable to the job.”

The community was a part of the duo’s lives.

Officer Lapham continues, “We were able to attend many community events where the public had the opportunity to give Aiko pets and scratches. His kindness also was a source of comfort for those involved in traumatic events. I was able to guide victims of crashes and crimes to Officer Aiko where they could be consoled by giving him pets (and more often than not, hugs). I had a few people suffering from mental health ailments that were more comfortable sharing with us what was wrong so that we could better assist them after having a chance to just be around a kind and loving dog. Aiko was beloved by the community and was supported by so many.”

The officer explains how Officer Aiko received many gifts and treats from the community over the years including a “spike-proof” bullet resistant vest for him to wear on critical incidents that was donated by Bath American Legion and friends.

Officer Aiko: Top Cop and a respected member of the police department.

Officer Aiko had many achievements and accolades over his career including being voted the “Top Cop” several years in a row during the Lansing City Pulse “Top of the Town awards.”

Because Aiko was a popular part of the Bath community, WLNS did a segment on the K-9 team back in 2018 and talked about “Aiko’s Gotcha Day” where Officer Lapham says about his popular partner and goodwill ambassador, “Officer Aiko has a very good temperament, he’s a very friendly dog, so he’s not afraid to give the kids a couple kisses on the face, a couple of licks…It’s a good way for people to come up and talk to us too so there are some folks that may want to come and ask me some questions, he’s a good icebreaker, they can come pet the dog and then ask questions.”

A great partner and friend.

Officer Lapham says about his partner in his tribute post, “He (Aiko) was the best partner that I could have ever asked for. I never had to worry about whether he had my back, or would be there for me in a moments notice. I also never had to worry about (sic) radio station he wanted on while we patrolled. This has been and will always be the best assignment I’ve had in my law enforcement career.”

The police officer also talks about training and traveling with Officer Aiko, saying, “I spent more time with him than the rest of my family” including long nights and holidays.

Officer Lapham ends the tribute to Aiko by saying, “The bond between K-9 and handler is one only understood by a few and it is beyond special. He will be missed by the community, his social media followers, fellow officers and family. We will forever miss his presence around our home. For once I’m going to appreciate his shedding, because I’m sure I will find little hairs to remember him by for decades to come. Please enjoy some photos of Aiko doing what he did best: working, sleeping and tormenting co-workers. I love you Aiko. You were such a good boy.”

For the entire tribute to Officer Aiko and to see photos of the officers, please click here. Aiko also has a fun video to watch where he is on “snow patrol” back in 2022.