The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office bid a sad goodbye last week to a beloved colleague: Thirteen-year-old K9 Officer Axel.

The German Shepherd, who served in the department for about eight years, was given a hero’s farewell. 

A wake was held Monday at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital in Dartmouth followed by a “last ride’’ Tuesday to Angel View Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Middleboro. 

Axel was accompanied to the facility by police vehicles from the police departments of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Raynham, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea and Taunton as well as representatives from the Massachusetts Environmental Police, Massachusetts State Police, New Bedford Animal Control, and Norfolk and Plymouth county sheriff’s offices. 

Axel’s cremated remains were returned later in the week to his owner and partner, Sheriff’s Office K9 officer Brennan Bulgar.

The tribute was well-earned, said Capt. Paul Douglas, who oversees the canine division of the sheriff’s office.  

“This is what they deserve,’’ Douglas said. “Our dogs are special, they put their lives on the line. They’re officers on four legs.’’ 

For Bulgar, the show of support brought comfort during a painful time. 

“I cry in the morning, I cry in the afternoon, I cry at night,’’ he said.

He described Axel as his “partner and best friend.’’

Axel began training with Bulgar when the dog was two years old. 

“We bonded that first day,’’ the officer said. 

Douglas quickly recognized the connection. 

They shared an “unconditional love,’’ he said. “Anything Brennan asked him to do, he did. They were a great team.’’

Axel had an ideal temperament for a police dog, Douglas said. The captain noted that Axel was professional and hard-working during work shifts, then playful and relaxed off-hours.

Through the years, the bond deepened as the two worked together. Axel could sniff out narcotics and search for missing people.

One of his most successful cases happened right before his retirement, during a search of a business in Bristol, R.I. Axel found a “mother lode’’ of narcotics, Douglas said, including “tons’’ of cocaine and marijuana. “It was like a pharmacy,’’ he said.

But it was hardly his only success, Douglas said “he had a lot of finds.”

Axel was retired by the division at about 10 years old, in July 2019, as is typical of sheriff’s office K9s, Douglas said. He went to live full-time with Bulgar and his family.

But in the last few weeks, Axel was not himself. He barely picked up his head to greet the family, a time when he normally would be jumping around and enthusiastic, Bulgar said.

A trip to Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital brought the news every pet owner dreads: Axel had cancer and the disease was spreading. “There was nothing else’’ to do for him, Douglas said. 

“He was so weak,’’ Bulgar said. “I didn’t want to see him suffer.’’

So Axel was euthanized with his beloved handler and his colleagues from the K9 division by his side for support. “Axel was loved by everyone,’’ Bulgar said. “It was very, very important to have everyone come together’’ at that painful moment.

“This is the worst part of being a K9 officer,’’ Douglas said.

Bulgar works with a new canine partner now, Eros, who is 2 ½.

But Axel will always hold a special place in his heart, he said. “I go home expecting he will be there,’’ he said. 

Bulgar is grateful that the law enforcement community has rallied around him and Axel.

“He was my best friend, and was a friend to all,’’ he said.