Darien K-9 Diagnosed with Cancer

DARIEN, CT — Darien Police K-9 Grizzly was forced into an early retirement after he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. Grizzly officially hit the streets in December 2016 with handler Officer Leslie Silva after completing extensive training.

Grizzly began limping and experiencing regular pain in one of his hind legs in February, said Lt. Jeremiah Marron, police spokesman.

"After visiting a local vet and running numerous tests, he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer called Chondrosarcoma," Marron said. "The vet discovered a cancerous tumor which was located in an inoperable area in his hip joint and the tumor rapidly progressed."

Grizzly was retired from service and will return to the care of Superior K9 Services to make him comfortable.(To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

"K-9 'Grizzly' was a valuable asset to the Darien Police Department, and he served the community well in the short time he was in service here in Darien. He will be sorely missed," Marron said.

Superior K9 Services is currently making efforts to locate a new K-9 partner for Officer Silva.

Image via Darien Police