Ed Hunziker made a bond for life on April 10, 2012, exactly one year to the day Rotar was born.
Ed Hunziker made a bond for life on April 10, 2012, exactly one year to the day Rotar was born.
A German Shepard and Belgian Malinois mix imported from Europe, Rotar was assigned to him as his K-9 partner at the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office.
“I think we are both very fortunate to have ended up with each other as partners,” Hunziker said, now a patrol officer for the Village of Hunting Valley.
In June 2016, Hunziker and Rotar joined the Geauga Park District’s Ranger Department, continuing a mission of safety, drug and crime prevention, before retiring in August 2020.
Veterans and First Responders Foundation’s Howling Heroes division recently awarded the duo a K-9 Guardian Award.
The K-9 Guardian program, launched this past September, provided Rotar’s family with $5,000 per year for medical and wellness expenses such as office visits, prescriptions, accidents or illnesses, rehabilitation, physical therapy and ultimately cremation services.
“I am super grateful to the Howling Heroes program that provides for veterans, first responders and now retired K-9s,” Hunziker said. “We know how expensive care can be for them. It alleviates a huge burden on the handler/owner.”
Rotar, at age 13, died on May 2. The loss hit Hunziker hard.
“Losing a pet is always a hard thing to have happen,” Hunziker said. “Losing Rotar was losing my partner, my best friend, and my pet. It’s a different loss from anything I’ve ever experienced.”
During his entire career, Rotar accrued more than 200 deployments and worked as a goodwill ambassador until his retirement at home with his handler.
“K-9 Rotar assisted with missing persons, narcotic sniffs, article search and tracking,” VFR’s Sandra Stafford said. “Some of his other career duties included safety instruction at schools, safety town, pancake breakfasts, and appearances at festivals, parades and nursing homes. K-9 Rotar also helped educate the public on dog safety.”
Back in 2019, Hunziker recalled noticing his partner slowing down a bit and starting to drag his back legs.
He discovered Rotar had degenerative myelopathy of the spine — a progressive disease, onset in older dogs, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in humans.
Hunziker carried the financial burden of veterinarian bills, exams, X-rays and medications for Rotar. Medications helped Rotar and he continued to live a beautiful life in the Geauga County countryside with sprawling open spaces alongside Hunziker and lots of Kong toys.
Howling Heroes — a charitable fundraising service that helps purchase equipment and training, and provide veterinary and medical care and financial assistance for retired military K-9s and police K9s — helped ease some of Hunziker’s financial burden, he said.
“There is a ton of work that both the handler and dogs put in that people probably don’t realize and just when they get to be their best, something happens, a career-ending injury or illness and all the work you’ve put in is cut short,” VFR’s Kiah Fernandez said.
“The police and military dogs serve for many years and go through vigorous training and stressful situations. Once they retire, they go through their own form of stress because they are no longer getting up each day and going to work. Their bodies go through many issues like joint and hip issues and many face greater challenges like cancer and degenerative issues.”
VFR Foundation Founder Dave Knott said K-9s serve and protect in the line of duty and deserve to be financially provided for and to stay with their handlers and families in retirement.
“Through Howling Heroes and the K9 Guardian Award, the VFR Foundation helps them continue to care for their loyal companions until the very end,” Knott said.
After Rotar’s retirement, Hunziker noticed his health further declining and began to dread his inevitable passing.
“We have spent so much more time together than you would with just a normal pet human relationship,” Hunziker said. “He and I have watched and protected each other for years and the bond is very strong.”
Even in retirement, Rotar alerted him to a man breaking into a neighbor’s house a couple of years ago, which allowed Hunziker to contact authorities, subsequently leading to the suspect’s arrest.
When Rotar retired, Hunziker decided he would be his only K-9 partner ever.
“The love is indescribable between a man and his dog,” Hunziker said, anticipating heartbreak the day he looked down and Rotar wasn’t there.
Rotar was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
“When you spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week with anyone, you develop something between each other that becomes very strong,” Hunziker said. “We protected each other at work/home, and when he was out socializing with the public, he made people smile wherever he went. He was a very good officer and the best friend/partner I could have ever asked for. Rotar served Geauga County well.”
Since his passing, Hunziker has experienced immense sadness.
“I will miss my buddy tremendously, that is a fact. I know all of the handlers we were in K-9 school with feel the same about their partners,” he said. “I was talking with one of the handlers I went to school with and we figured out that there is only one dog left out of our group. Some passed away too young. I am very thankful for the time I had with my boy. I hope he is playing with his Kong with all his buddies.”
