Officer Loses Canine Sidekick; Lasso Dies at Age 7

He was a model police officer.

“He’d work till he dropped if you’d ask him,” said a fellow cop, who called him “exceptional.”

In five years on the force, police said he caught 174 felons without ever using a gun. He sniffed them out; sometimes he bit them, too.

Lasso, one of the Los Angeles Police Department’s original batch of canine cops, is dead at 7. That’s about 50 in human years.

The dog had just finished making a training film late Thursday when his handler/partner became concerned about Lasso’s listless behavior.

Officer Kerell Broussard took the animal to a veterinarian who found blood in his lungs. Lasso was undergoing treatment when he died. Death was probably due to a tumor, Broussard said.

Broussard, who had lived with Lasso since they went through a 12-week training course together five years ago, took it hard.

“It’s the same thing as if his partner died or someone in his family died,” Officer Richard Rockhold said.

15 Dogs on Force

Lasso was among the 15 dogs in the department who search for suspects; others work as bomb-sniffers or narcotic finders.

After a successful career, Lasso was going to retire this year and spend his twilight years as Broussard’s pet. “He was going to become one of the family,” the handler said, in an emotion-choked voice.

The dogs live at home with their trainers and travel in specially equiped police cars, replete with water and fan.

“He got along well with everyone,” Sgt. Jerry Thomas said. “He was a very friendly dog; but when it came time to work, he worked.”

The black and brown, 70-pound German shepherd, like all the dogs in the unit, was paid for by the West L.A. Boosters, Thomas said. A young “cadet” was already in training to replace Lasso.

The new recruit will have large paw prints to fill. Broussard said Lasso often attacked suspects as they tried to assault the officer.

“He’s come to my aid numerous times,” he said.

In the training film shot just before his death, Lasso demonstrated how dogs guard their masters.

“That’s the last thing he did, showed how a dog protects his handler,” Broussard said. “You could tell he was out of it. He was only performing because I asked him.”