COHASSET – The Police Department is mourning the death of its retired police dog Erik, who served as the department's first police dog.

Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said in a Facebook post that Erik, a German shepherd, would have turned 14 years old next week, but died following a brief illness over the weekend.

"He came to us in 2011 and immediately bonded with his best friend and handler, police officer Patrick Reardon, and his family," Quigley said.

The department retired Erik in 2018 after he suffered a seizure, which affected how he performed his duties. He continued to live with Reardon and his family in retirement.

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"Erik has been living his best retired life: no shift work, holidays off, zero bad guys, and plenty of boops," Quigley said in the post. "K-9 Einstein has the watch now."