A Colorado Springs police dog was laid to rest this week after a brain tumor caused him to lose his balance and movement.

K-9 Rex, a 13-year-old German Shepherd retired from the Colorado Springs Airport Unit Explosives Detection K-9 Team, was euthanized Monday.

Rex spent “thousands of hours searching luggage, cargo, vehicles, buildings, aircraft and passengers to ensure the safety of the traveling public,” police wrote in a blotter entry announcing his death. He was one of the first three explosives detection police dogs acquired through the Transportation Security Administration’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program in 2005. He worked at the Colorado Springs Airport from 2005 to 2012. He also cleared bomb threats within the city and provided security for presidential details, according to police.

Rex retired in 2012 to his handler, Officer Wayne Strader, and “was able to enjoy the rest of his life at home with his family,” police wrote.

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Contact Kassondra Cloos: 636-0362

Twitter: @Kassondra Cloos