Axel, an Allentown police dog, died Thursday. He was 8 years old.
City police Sgt. John Hill was teamed up with Axel when the black German shepherd was 18 months old. They trained at the Waopokeneta, Ohio, K-9 school and had patrolled Allentown's streets ever since.
Axel was one of four dogs in the city Police Department. He was used for regular patrols and for drug detection. Cancer cut his life short, according to city Assistant Chief Ron Manescu.
In 2006, Axel caught one of two suspects fleeing police after a Tioga Street shooting, Manescu said. The man had run into the woods at Brick and Furnace streets.
In 2003, the dog aided an arrest in an arson at Temple Beth El, the synagogue that used to be at 17th and Hamilton streets.
''We had an indication that it had just happened, and Axel led us right to a house, where we found the suspect.''
Manescu, a former K-9 officer, said losing a dog is hard on the officer.
''You really form a strong bond with the animal,'' he said. ''It's tough to take when a dog dies prematurely.''
