The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office former K-9 Officer Marco has died.
Marco, then eight-years-old, was gifted to the sheriff’s office in July 2018 by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. He was trained to sniff out all manner of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
Marco’s handler, now retired Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Fred Norder, who worked with and handled drug dogs for 16 of his 27 years as a police officer, announced Marco’s death earlier this week.
“Today we had to put my third and final police K9 partner and cuddle-loving buddy, MARCO, to rest,” Norder said. ““Marco, to say the least, had the most phenomenal nose when working. He was probably a better narcotics dog than my first two dogs,” which Norder handled in Wisconsin, prior to moving to Grayson County.
Norder said Marco, a Belgian Malinois, was unique, as he would sit down when he alerted to a narcotic, where most K-9 officers scratch at the area containing drugs.
Marco was involved in and responsible for countless drug arrests in his roughly 20 months working for the GCSO, and was often requested by the Leitchfield Police Department as needed, and when Marco was on duty (and occasionally when Marco wasn’t on duty).
Norder said it was possible Marco could have worked longer in Grayson County, but he began showing signs of aging, particularly the dexterity of his hips (which is imperative for jumping into and out of vehicles).
“I didn’t want to run him until the wheels fell off,” Norder said, using a car analogy, “but they (K-9 officer) don’t realize it’s time to quit.”
Although part of the Norder family from his first days as a GCSO drug-sniffer extraordinaire – Norder, his family and Chief Deputy Jarrod Mudd built Marco a first-class abode soon after his arrival — the lovable canine became an official member of the Norder family once he was retired.
“After retirement, he was also one of our most loyal family members,” Norder said. “We were fortunate to be blessed with Marco and he seemed to know today was the end of his pain. He definitely made our goodbyes difficult, as he was still able to reach out and give his notorious hugs and lean hard into us.”
“We’ll miss him dearly,” Norder said, summing up his and his family’s sentiments.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
