Charger, a Fairfax County Police bloodhound, died of cancer June 13 while on his final walk through the woods near his home with his handler.

Charger was born on February 23, 2002 in Pont Rouge, Quebec, Canada and came to Fairfax County that May, starting his training a month later. The Spotsylvania County Sheriffs Department and Maryland State Police K9 units, with assistance from The Law Enforcement Bloodhound Association, provided additional training that lasted for almost a year. Chargers main responsibility was to find people who were lost and those who had committed crimes.

Charger and his human partner, Lt. Pat Ronan, responded to hundreds of calls for service, according to police, including tracking a suspected rapist. In that case, Charger led Ronan and patrol officers to an apartment where the suspect was located and eventually arrested, according to police.

Police said Chargers favorite toy was a little red ball that glowed inside when you shake it and his favorite treats were Alpo dog treats. But, a police news release noted, in spite of all of the great things he did, he was still a dog and chewed everything in sight – which was reportedly OK with Ronan.

Charger was a very special friend, companion and dedicated police K9, he will be missed, a police statement said.