Terminally Ill Rescue Dog Is Sworn In as Honorary K-9 Officer

Lieutenant Dan, a terminally ill German shepherd, has joined the rank and file after becoming an honorary K-9 officer over the weekend, thanks to the generosity of an Ohio police department.

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The 7-year-old rescue dog that lives in Dayton, was sworn in by the city mayor as an honorary member of the Newport Police Department in Kentucky, a neighboring town.

In addition to the ceremony, 21-year-old Taylor Craig, who is fostering Dan, said the dog had the chance to meet the department’s handler and several K-9 officers.

“He’s definitely got the bark,” Craig told InsideEdition.com.

She said she rescued Dan from the shelter through her local Paw Patrol in December. Because the veterinarian diagnosed the dog with degenerative myelopathy, a progressive disease similar to ALS, the shelter would have put him down had she not rescued him.

For the last two months, Dan has been wheelchair-bound.

“Our vet told us [he would live] eight to ten months roughly, but he’s still going strong,” Craig explained. “No matter what kind of trials he has, he seems to be pushing through.”

In hopes of helping Dan live the fullest life, she put together a bucket list of things for him to complete.

“We don’t know what his past was like before we got him,” she said. “We thought he’d like to do the typical things a dog likes to do, and if we can go above and beyond, that’s great."

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Other things on the list included tasting ice cream from McDonald's and going swimming in a river, but Craig said Dan was especially fit to become an honorary K-9.

“He’s a brave dog,” Craig explained. “He’s loyal to me. He keeps going and persevering, no matter what.”

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