Texas, prolific retired Connecticut State Police K-9, dies from illness

The Danbury Fire Department announced Sunday that Texas, a retired Connecticut State Police K-9, died earlier this week.

The department says Texas retired four years ago and recently became ill.

In a post on Facebook, the department says over the years, the bloodhound became friends with its members.

Back in 2017, while searching for a Danbury resident in the woods on Sugar Hollow Road, Texas slipped away from his handlers and got lost in the woods .

For the next two days, hundreds of people and five helicopters searched for Texas. He was found in the Ridgebury section of Ridgefield – cold and tired, but safe.

The department says during his career, Texas and his handler Trooper Ed Anuszewski searched and found dozens of lost people, including numerous children.

They described Texas as one of the most prolific searchers in the country and the most successful in Connecticut history.