Overnight search ends when Mount Vernon-Lisbon police dog found dead

Monster, a police dog that helped Mount Vernon-Lisbon officers detect drugs and track and apprehend suspects, disappeared Monday night from his home and was found dead Tuesday morning in an icy pond after an overnight search.

“K9 Officer Monster has served on our department for the past 7 years and has made an impact on every officer, staff members, and the entire community. K9 Monster was a tremendous asset to our department and the community he served,” Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Chief Doug Shannon said in a statement.

The police department posted Tuesday morning on Facebook that it needed help locating the dog, who was last seen about 10:30 p.m. Monday. Several agencies, animal nonprofits and volunteers came out to help search for the dog, a news release said.

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At 10:14 a.m. Tuesday, emergency responders searching for Monster found the body of an animal submerged in a partially ice-covered pond in the 900 block of Willow Lane in Lisbon. They used a drone to confirm the animal was a dog, and the Mount Vernon Fire Department retrieved the dog using ice-rescue efforts. The dog was confirmed to be Monster, the news release states.

A Facebook post from September 2018, when the department first welcomed Monster to the team, states that he is a Dutch shepherd from Holland. He was 3 years old when he joined the department in 2018, and was trained in drug detection, officer protection, tracking and suspect apprehension. He was partnered with Officer Steve Moel.

“Please keep our department and Officer Moel and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. K9 Monster will be deeply missed by all of us,” the release reads.

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