K9 Deputy Fox dies after medical emergency

A Facebook post offered condolences to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office after the death of K9 Deputy Fox, who suffered a medical emergency and later died at home with his family, the post said.

The post named Deputy Decell as Fox’s handler and extended thoughts and prayers to Decell, his family and members of the sheriff’s office. It did not provide further details about the medical emergency or the timeline of events.

Rankin County is in central Mississippi and its sheriff’s office operates law enforcement and public safety services for the county. Many sheriff’s offices deploy K9 teams to assist with searches, suspect tracking, narcotics detection and community outreach; handlers typically form strong bonds with their canine partners.

The loss of a K9 can have a deep effect on a department and the community it serves. We will provide more information as it becomes available.