Officer Butch dies suddenly

K-9 Officer Butch, the German shepherd police dog and partner of Bath Police Chief Craig Pearrell, had to be put down Saturday morning. Pearrell and Mayor Susan Webster were with Butch in the end.

The dog experienced a health problem on Thursday evening at about 7:30 p.m., suffering a series of seizures, the last one Saturday morning.

Butch became the town’s K-9 Officer in February 2007. He was purchased from Mike Mayes of Battle Ridge K-9 with funding from local citizens and businesses.

During his five years of service, Butch was responsible for hundreds of drug busts, assisting with crowd control, assisting with tracking of lost elderly citizens in the local area and on several occasions he tracked down suspects that fled from police. He was also available for school presentations.

“Butch was a dual purpose K-9 for the Berkeley Springs Police Department. He was not only a loyal K-9, companion and officer, but also a best friend,” Pearrell said.