17-02-2025
Somerset mourns death of 'loyal' retired police K-9 Viepo. What made this dog so special?
SOMERSET — Somerset Police Department is mourning the loss of 'loyal and dedicated' Viepo, a retired K-9 unit and partner that served alongside now-retired Officer Jared Linhares.
The German shepherd, which was introduced to the department and tasked with patrol work in 2015, died of natural causes on Feb. 13 at the age of 12.
'He was going to be 13 in May,' Linhares said. 'Overall, he was very healthy.'
Viepo and his handler Linhares were first partnered when Viepo, who came from Slovakia, was 18 months old. The pair spent eight years working together on the department. Linhares said that Viepo was the first K-9 unit to join the police department in over 30 years.
Linhares and Viepo completed 14 weeks of drug and patrol training together with the Boston Police Department training unit in July 2015. He joined the department in August that year.
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Linhares said Viepo — whose 'intelligence,' 'strength' and 'unmatched courage' are lauded in a Somerset Police Department post on Facebook — was 'actually a very social dog.'
Viepo was trained to track suspects and missing persons, protect Linhares and apprehend suspects, but 'had a switch,' Linhares said. When he was working, he was '1,000 miles per hour,' Linhares said.
'Once I hit the remote start in the driveway for the cruiser,' Viepo knew they were heading to work. 'He loved it just like I did.'
Though Viepo resided with Linhares, he was considered by former Somerset Police Chief George McNeil as not only a good resource to fight crime, but also a 'town celebrity,' and a tool for community outreach expected to star in school demonstrations in Somerset.
'I could walk around the station with him,' Linhares said. 'He'd let people pet him. … He was great with people.'
During their time together, Linhares and Viepo's bond led them to serve several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and 'assisted some fugitive units [when it came to] apprehending wanted persons,' Linhares said.
By virtue of belonging to the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council as a K-9 unit, Viepo served numerous Bristol County agencies throughout his career.
Linhares 'took pride in us always being available when the phone rang,' and recounted late-night calls that he and Viepo responded to.
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A well-attended memorial for Viepo took place on Feb. 14 inside Bay State Veterinary at 463 Swansea Mall Drive in Swansea, with officers lining up to pay their respects to Viepo for his dedicated years of 'service and sacrifice,' the Somerset Police Department Facebook post reads.
The department thanked Auclair's Market for donating food for Viepo from the day he entered the line of duty to even after Viepo retired from the force a couple of years ago.
Linhares thanked those who called and sent messages of sympathy for their 'heartwarming' gesture.
'He was definitely deserving,' he said, 'And not just because he was mine.'
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Police Department retired K-9 patrol dog Viepo dies
