Wichita police dog that helped comfort crime victims dies of cancer

A Wichita police dog that helped comfort victims and witnesses of crimes has died of cancer.

The city of Wichita announced Sunday on social media that Laddy, a yellow Labrador, died after battling cancer.

“I will immensely miss Laddy stopping by for treats and pats,” Mayor Jeff Longwell said in a tweet. “His @WichitaPolice family and all of City Hall will feel his absence from our halls.”

In February, the city announced that Laddy had returned to work after recovering from having a tumor removed.

“Who has: one wet nose, two eyes, three legs and infinite kisses to give?” city officials said in a Facebook post.

Laddy joined the Wichita Police Department’s Victims Assistance Unit in 2016 when he was 2 years old. He was trained at the Kansas Special Dog Service campus in Washington to act as a calming presence to people struggling with stress and anxiety from violent crimes.

“They’re silent, they’re not judgmental, they don’t care where you come from, what color you are, where you’ve been,” Michele Blunck, Laddy’s handler, said in 2016. “They just are there for you.”