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Central Point police mourns loss of therapy dog By Mail Tribune staff Updated: Nov 30, 2021 10:01 AM A A Central Point police K9 Simon, who consoled hundreds of victims over his 20 months of service as a therapy dog for the department, passed away unexpectedly Thursday. A memorial service honoring the dog’s life will be held in January. [Central Point police photo} After more than a year and a half of helping trauma victims, a Central Point police dog with a unique role at the department has passed away. Central Point K9 Simon, who served as a therapy dog at the department, died unexpectedly of heart failure Thursday, according to posts on social media honoring the dog’s life from the police department and the nonprofit that trained the service animal. “Simon brought so much to our Department and will be fondly remembered,” the Central Point police post states. Since March of last year, the service dog worked with a victim support advocate at the police department and had helped hundreds of people — including Southern Oregonians who needed to evacuate during the Almeda and South Obenchain fires, according to Working Dogs Oregon. “Simon was able to relieve the stress of his community no matter the situation,” the nonprofit stated, later adding that the K9 was “a great source of mental health support to the officers and staff of the Central Point Police Department.” Prior to becoming part of the police department, Simon was a seeing eye dog in the Portland area for five years. The nonprofit plans to honor the life of K9 Simon with a memorial service in January.