Thor, Retired Heroic Antioch Police Dog, Dies
ANTIOCH (CBS SF)_ A retired Antioch police dog that worked with the department for more than a decade died Tuesday, according to an organization devoted to law enforcement dogs.
Thor, a 14-year-old Belgian Malinois, served with the department from September 2002 until retiring in December 2012 and bravely assisted in numerous arrests, according to the Police and Working K-9 Foundation.
He was shot by a suspect in 2010 and run over by a car in 2012, but persevered and retired to live with his handler, Officer Matthew Harger.
Thor was shot in August 2010 as he entered a house where a burglary was in progress.
The dog was not phased by the shooting, and held onto the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Christopher Johnson, until officers came into the room and he turned his gun on them, according to police.
"Even though Thor was injured, he immediately engaged the suspect and held onto him without letting go during a continued gunfight until I and another officer were able to neutralize the threat," Harger said in a statement released through the foundation.
"This is the utmost demand for a police dog, and that night, without a doubt, Thor saved our lives. There is no other story that can top that," he said.
Thor received a Purple Heart Award for bravery after the shooting. He recovered from it and returned to duty.
Later, Thor was injured again while struggling with a suspect who fled from a traffic stop on state Highway 4 in February 2012.
Thor grabbed the fleeing driver, but the car rolled forward and over Harger and Thor, police said. Harger suffered minor scrapes and Thor was uninjured.
He retired later that year.
Thor lived with Harger since he was seven weeks old and stayed with him after his retirement until his death Tuesday.
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