Oro Valley police K-9 Emerson remembered as accident-prone goof

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (Oro Valley Police Department) - OVPD is sad to announce the passing of retired K-9 Emerson.

Emerson was known for his jumping ability and his outstanding obedience. He finished first place in agility in the Las Vegas Police K-9 trials. Like most high-drive police dogs, he would attempt to go through obstacles instead of around them.

In training, he attempted to jump through a small bathroom window that was 8 feet above the ground. He was supposed to alert to the door next to the window but chose to try to go through the small window instead.

He was an accident-prone goof, and this resulted in one of his many after-hours vet visits.

Emerson was born in February 2010 and came to the department in April 2011. He served until November 2018 and passed away on March 16 of this year.

Emerson was a groundbreaker.

He was one of the first dogs from an outside agency to train with Tucson police who now trains the majority of police K-9s in southern Arizona. He was certainly one of the catalysts that started their K-9 school for outside agencies.

Emerson had a very successful patrol and narcotics detection career but is best known for the joy he brought to people through his visits to many community locations, and his “Therapy Dog Thursdays” at OVPD.

Emerson had an awesome temperament which allowed him to visit the children’s hospital and a local group home.

After he retired, “Therapy Dog Thursdays” became something people at OVPD looked forward to. He was certainly a leaner and if he wasn’t done with you petting him, he would give you his “Emerson nudge” to let you know you weren’t done yet.

Rest in Peace Emerson. Thank you for your service to the town of Oro Valley.