SHARE

Cancer Claims Life Of Westchester County Police Dog

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- The Westchester County Police are mourning the death of one of their own.

Officer Matthew Notaro with his K-9 partner, Seneca, who died last week.

Officer Matthew Notaro with his K-9 partner, Seneca, who died last week.

Photo Credit: Westchester County Police

Seneca, who served as a tracking K-9, died at the age of 8 on Tuesday, after a brief battle with cancer. The bloodhound joined the force as a puppy and formed a tight bond with her handler, Officer Matthew Notaro.

She was put into service at 12-13 weeks and served with the department for seven years, assisting police with search and rescue efforts or helping them find a suspect.

"Seneca was just wonderful," Lt. James Luciano, executive officer of the special operations division of the Westchester County Police, said.

Luciano said Seneca was about to retire and had been training a new bloodhound before she got sick. Seneca was called to help police in Rockland and Putnam counties and on Long Island.

"She was such a wonderful asset to this department," Luciano said.

Notaro and Seneca had a deep bond. Seneca lived with Notaro when she wasn't on the job.

"It's heartbreaking," Lucano said. "It's like one of our guys lost a family member. Matthew and Seneca were going to retire and enjoy old age together. I guess God had different plans."

Bloodhounds, with their strong sense of smell, are considered an asset in searching for people. An officer would go to the scene and use a gauze pad to help absorb a person's scent.

The officer would then put the pad in a bag where it would be introduced to the bloodhound who would go to work in tracking the person.

Seneca, who wore a harness when she was working, would put her nose to the ground and try to follow the scent. 

"It was amazing to watch them work," Luciano said. "She was great at tracking people."

Luciano said the police officers would greatly miss Seneca.

"It's very sad," Luciano, who has three dogs, said. "For Matthew, it's like he lost his 8-year-old daughter."

to follow Daily Voice Rye and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE