It is with heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of Ned’s Wish Hero PSD Hemmi, who peacefully passed away on June 4th surrounded by his handler D/Cst Corby Wright and his family.
Hemmi turned 15 on February 2, 2023; he was born in Slovakia and trained as a General purpose police dog with explosives and weapons detection profile. He began his law enforcement service in Canada in 2009, when he worked with the Durham Regional Police.
Hemmi was not only an excellent explosive and gun detection dog, but he was also the fastest K9 in his unit. During one of the training tests, Hemmi’s recorded speed was 51 km/h and rising. Hemmi also set a record for the longest track, when he followed a suspect for over 8 kilometers. Hemmi was nicknamed a “Hoover” because when he was tracking, his nose was so close to the ground you could hear him inhaling!
While Hemmi and his handler conducted a great number of tracks and arrests during his 9-year career, one of the more memorable incidents stands out above them all. Hemmi saved the life of an 80-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimers when she wandered off from her home located on 200 acres in the middle of the night. Hemmi tracked and found her about 1.5 kilometers away from her home in a spot they would have never looked. Such a proud day for the Hemmi / Wright team.
Hemmi’s service continued until 2018 before he eventually retired and enjoyed a simple life with his favourite Kong toy or two. Thank you for your service Mr. Hoover. While your watch is over, we miss you still.