The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has announced that K9 Jake died peacefully yesterday after struggling with medical issues. Jake retired recently after being diagnosed with bone cancer.

“Jake was loved by many and will be truly missed,” the sheriff’s office stated in a social media post.

He was laid to rest by his handler Deputy Chris Majeski, Sgt. Ty Jacobson, and several other K9 team members.

“Jake spent 9.5 years serving the Washington County community and was very active through providing demonstrations, search and rescue operations, criminal apprehensions, drug detection and being a great family member,” the post added.

Majeski and Jake built a reputation as one of the K9 unit’s top-performing teams.

“Chris and Jake were instrumental in our K9 unit,” Jacobson told the Roundabout last month. “I would say they were together one of the hardest-working K9 teams we had in our unit. They’ve taken a lot of illegal narcotics off the street.”

The two were also part of the department’s national champion K9 team, winning first place in the team competition at the United States Police Canine Association Inc. championships in both 2023 and 2024.

Several people expressed their condolences online. “My sincere heartfelt sympathy for Chris, his family, and Washington County,” one commenter stated. “Jake was an amazing dog. He served the people of Washington County well.”

Another added: “RIP Jake and thanks for your years of loyal service. I know you left paw prints on the hearts of many. Thanks Chris and family for your dedication to Jake’s retirement. And condolences to all who knew and worked with Jake.”

Reporter Theo Franz contributed to this article.